May 2013

MB&F And Reuge MusicMachine Music Box
Stunning sight meets sensational sound!
Article By Steven R. Rochlin

  Audiophiles looking to reach back into their youth, yet with a modern flair with style and design is the new limited edition MB&F (Maximilian Büsser & Friends ) and Reuge MusicMachine music box. MusicMachine is a music box that looks and sounds out of this world yet contains all the traditional, time-honored elements of a superlative high-end music box. Reuge, the premier manufacturer of music boxes on the planet, with nearly 150 years of expertise and experience, is also part of this brave new project.

With its dual propellers and twin silver cylinders mounted on sleek outrigger landing gear, MusicMachine looks like a spaceship hailing from a galaxy far, far away. Each of the cylinders on MusicMachine plays three tunes, all personally selected by MB&F founder and creative director Maximilian Büsser. On the left, "may the Force be with you" with the Star Wars theme, "Imperial March" from The Empire Strikes Back, and the theme from Star Trek. Back on earth, the right cylinder plays Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall", Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" and John Lennon's "Imagine" – all tunes synonymous with MB&F's radical, nonconformist attitude.

Working out these two groups of three arrangements, each one limited to between 25 and 45 seconds, and the multitude of notes that these entail. The two vertical combs look like air vent grills on either side of the vessel's main body. Each comb contains the bespoke selection of 72 notes chosen by the Reuge musician in accordance with the three melodies that cylinder will play. Each comb forms a unique pair with its corresponding cylinder; neither can play properly without the other. The combs are hand-tuned from a unique steel alloy specifically selected for its acoustic impact. For bass notes, the weight of the tooth is extended at the back by the traditional method of adding lead.

Main body is Walnut for the sound amplification chamber; white or black piano lacquered whilst the outriggers are bead-blasted and anodized aluminum; black matte-anodized for black version. MusicMachine is a limited edition of 66 pieces: 33 pieces in white and 33 pieces in black (the latter for those with a preference for 'the dark side'). Dimensions are 395mm x 475mm x 165mm (WxDxH), the unit weighs 2.97 kg and pricing is about 12,000 Swiss Francs.