I was saddened to hear about the passing of Carl Wilson.  Because, you
see, until I heard about him on the news I wasn't aware that he and I
shared the same musical gift, perfect pitch.  No wonder I always
thought the Beach Boys' harmony was cool.  (So what am I doing in
Information Systems?  Don't ask!)  Where is this going?  Please bear
with me.

I can't help noticing myriad tunings in antique music boxes, disc boxes
in particular since that's what I've heard the most of.  Some are close
to or in the key of A-flat.  Many, including Polyphon, Symphonion,
Olympia and Regina, seem to be close to or in G-flat.  I have heard a
Regina No. 11 that's slightly flat of that key, as well as a No. 50
that's dead-on.  Our own No. 11 is slightly flat of the key of G, and
it's the first No. 11 I've heard tuned that way.  Before we bought it I
had to do some serious soul-searching to decide what key I preferred
our box to be in!

I have read that the manufacturers used master combs for tuning.  That
makes sense, but why all the different pitch standards?  Did the older
A-435 tuning standard carry over to music boxes too?  Can anyone shed
some light on this?

Also, can someone explain why the short bedplate machines seem to have
better sound than the long bedplate machines?  We heard a Regina No. 50
that blew the lid off of the No. 11, particularly the bass notes, but
it was too expensive for us.  (Not that we're unhappy with our No. 11;
it's magnificent.)

Finally, what might cause some notes to be slightly out of tune so that
a note on one comb beats against its mate on the other, while others
are exactly in tune with one another? Supposedly the combs stay in tune
permanently unless they are physically altered.  Could something as
minor as a spot of rust cause this?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm new to this and VERY excited and
eager to learn.

Thanks to all.

Best Regards,
Joel Hoshaw