I published a post not long ago about an inexpensive Programmable DIY Mechanical Music Box that uses paper strips to program the song to be played.Here is its upscale cousin -- the Gloggomobil, made by Naef, a swiss company.
The wooden barrel is spun by means of a hand-crank on the side. Small pegs are inserted into pre-drilled holes in the barrel to determine what note plays and when. The music plays on a small-scale metallophone or Glockenspiel (like a xylophone but with metal tuned bars rather than wood).
Where you see more than one peg on a line, the instrument will play a chord. It looks like it comes with pair of mallets for composing or non-automated playing.
The Gloggomobil will set you back over $1000 USD, but I am told it is of excellent craftsmanship and that they are made in limited quantities. This design cries out for a DIY version.
Once again, my thanks goes out to Falk Keuten who tells me he has had one of these amazing musical, mechanical gizmos for 30 years.
Check out a few more details on the Gloggomobil.
Pretty neat machine, but the price tag? Holy moly!
ReplyDeletetwo notes missing for the full chromatic scale.... a bit of a shame for a 1000$ instrument ... but nice looking machine... what about the sound???
ReplyDeleteOh! When I was in Zürich, I played with one of those. It was truly lovely and had a beautiful sound.
ReplyDeleteWould have been one of my favourites as a little kiddo.
The swiss have a knack for tinkering around with watches and music boxes.
:)
(not to mention chocolate)
wow that's beautifully built! definitely more 'art' than 'musical toy'.
ReplyDeleteWould be cool if they manufactured a bunch of different peg barrels to make it interchangeable! People might be more inclined to spend $1000 on a music box if it plays more than one song =]
great post! have a nice day
The only sample I can find on the 'net: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyLpFWOgD_U
ReplyDelete