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The Music Box, Wellesley--seeking information


Rivendell61

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Long time ago someone posted that they had some info about the Music Box in Wellesley--relating to the owner/PWK contact, etc.

I can not get the search function to search within messages so can not locate the old post.

I am interested in ANY historic--or current--info on the Music Box, owners, etc.

If the poster of that info sees this.....please let me know how to contact you.

Thanks!

Mark

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Mark, I found the thread. It was "Cornwalls in Boston" or similar.

Here were the comments on the Music Box:

"The Music Box in Wellesley, Mass Was one of the first (maybe the very first).klipsch delears . They were also said to be the first hi fi store also.

Mr bell the owner turned me on to khorns when i wasd a kid. He was so in to the hi fi thing that he took a pair of khorns,marantz amp and ampex tape deck to the worlds fair in 59 or 60 to truly demo sereo to the world. I think it was a set he sold to a good freind in Boston.

One of these days I will post the story that was printed in a early hifi mag.

Sadly the Music Box closed in the early 90,s when Mr bell retired to Maine.

They were the only klipsch delear in the Boston area up tell the early 80,s or late 70,s whern tweeters ect became a Klipsch delear.

Mr Bell's music box was so in to khorns that they would put your name on a plaque and add it to there khorn wall ownes wall.I always wanted my name up. But back then khorns were just $$$ out of my reach. He son was the lead singer in some local famous Boston based bands and had a few pairs of old bet up lascalas that he toured with. I always wanted my name up. But back then khorns were just $$$ out of my reach. Anyway the music boxed sold a lot of early klipsch stuff.

I wonder if there are recordes still around on the amount sold? Sure would be cool to talk to My Bell about khorns.

--------------------------------

I bought my Cornwalls from the Music Box in 1974. I was visiting a friend in Wellesley whose father had a pair of Shorthorns (there are pictures of them somewhere on this website). When I enthused over them he told me the equivilent of "You ain't seen nothing yet" and the next day took me over to the Music Box. It was an eclectic store, to say the least. There were greeting cards at one end, records in the middle, and in the back, the audio showroom. I'd never had such an experience, as St. Louis, with a few exceptions, didn't have many such "venues." I remember the plaques for "Klipschorn and Chowder Marching Society" on the walls. (I also remember the notebook detailing the settlement with Bose Corp. that he legally had to have on display, but that's another story...) Anyway, with membership in the aforementioned marching society being financially out of reach, I saved up for six months and ordered the Cornwalls - after explaining about the local Klipsch dealer, who had throughly ripped off a classmate who'd had more money than sense. Mr. Bell agreed to drop ship the Cornwalls (drop shipping meant something other than what UPS seems to think it means nowadays...) to me in downstate Illinois. I've had them ever since. (I wish I could say that about the used Marantz 2s I bought out of his "pre-owned display" in the back window, but that too is a another story.)

The Music Box and Mr. Bell. I miss that sort of thing in audio these days."

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Thanks Leok and Chris!

How do you do that....? When I put in any word to search within messages I get an 'Error' response.

Have to go off line for a few hours--but will pull up that thread later and try to contact the author. It was the mentioned mag article, etc., with info about Mr Bell, which I wanted to ask the poster about.

My Dad bought our Scott 99D/Shorthorn there in about '59. And I used to do all my record buying there as a kid.

Mark

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  • 15 years later...

in the mid to late 70's my friends and i were just getting into the real exploration of stereo sound and high quality vinyl from mfsl. we went to the music box b/c we had heard about the k - horns ( one friend had a set of hereseys) and mr. bell was very excited to demo the horns but due to the time of day he said that he could not turn them up too loud but if we returned later he would give us a true demo of the horns so we did and were amazed . i don't know how it happened but this became a more regular occurrence . we would get there right @ closing time , park in the back , come thru the back door ,  bring our best vinyl records that we had and he would give us the most amazing stereo experience ever . to hear the k horns at the limit ( or damn near close !!) was astonishing, especially in his sound room.

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Hello, Klipsch fans

this is my first post. I have been visiting this website for years but have never joined until now. The revival of the 2005 posting asking for information about The Music Box in Wellesley Ma. Pushed me to sign up as a member.  I worked with Bill Bell at the Music Box from 1970 - 1991. It was a wonderful job. The best job in my whole career. I would be glad to answer any questions I can and will post more about 

The Music Box.

  

Thank you

J Figby Blotz

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  • 5 months later...
  • 5 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Hi!  I must admit I've never owned Klipsch (although, in my dreams, I would have had a pair of K-horns from my teen years), but I found this thread when searching for information about the Music Box, and had to jump in. 

 

In the early '70s, when I was in my mid-teens, the Music Box was home-away-from-home for me.  It was located two doors down from a musical-instrument store where I took guitar lessons, and the two stores were where I did almost all of my record shopping (the musical-instrument store for bootlegs that they alone would carry, the Music Box for, initially, 45s -- I still remember the wall display they had of the weekly "top thirty singles" just to the left of the cashier's desk, between it and the audio room -- then popular albums, and eventually classical as my interest in that genre grew).  I spent many hours in the audio room as well, and remember the owner being one of the few people in audio retail at the time who was frankly dismissive of the notion of quadraphonic sound -- I wonder how much of that was due to the unlikelihood of finding a suitable room where you could put K-horns in all four corners?  At any rate, it was also where I purchased my own first stereo gear; in my case, a KLH Model 11W that would be suitable for a dorm room.  Obviously, I eventually wound up in college several states away, so only dropped by during vacations, and then my parents moved to the West Coast in 1978, so that was the last time I was in the Boston area.  I figured the Music Box would be long gone, but am surprised to learn that it lasted until the owner's retirement in the '90s.  Given the fate of most non-chain audio retailers, I would have guessed it would have been gone well before that, especially after Tech HiFi opened a branch a block away.

 

Looking at Google StreetView, it appears the location is now an OrangeTheory Fitness.  Sic transit gloria mundi...

 

P.S.: I see that Mr. Bell passed away in 2014.  https://www.ellsworthamerican.com/obituary/william-h-bell/

Edited by the nightfly
Added obituary link
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  • 6 months later...
On 1/9/2021 at 5:19 PM, J.F.Blotz said:

I worked there with Bill Bell for 21 years. If you , or anyone have any questions please let me know.

I bought a pair of Heresys at the Music Box in 1977. I still have them and they sound great. Maybe it was you who helped me load them into the back seat of a VW Beatle. If it was, thanks again.

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  • 1 year later...

The Music Box was great. I grew up in Newton and visited at least a few times, ogling the gear but of course never able to afford anything. One of the local Boston area stores that seeded my current adoration of vintage audio, which includes  my '77 La Scala's and Cornwall's.

 

Bill Bell's son is Mark(Mach) Bell, who fronted the famous in the area 70's band Thundertrain, and also was lead singer of the Joe Perry Project in the early 80's. He also worked at the Box for a time in the tech area. He has a memoir out which is quite good and refers to the Music Box and some of the gear they sold.

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On 1/9/2021 at 5:19 PM, J.F.Blotz said:

Yes, Rich

The Music Box was located at 58 Central St. in Wellesley.

I worked there with Bill Bell for 21 years. If you , or anyone have any questions please let me know.

 

Purchased a few items there including a pair of decorator Klipschorns.

 

Great times, long, long ago.  

 

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  • 4 months later...

I just stumbled upon this post.  My grandfather, Nelson Bell, started the Music Box in the '30's, and my father, Bill Bell, took over and ran it until he closed shop in appx 1995.  Back in the day, on one of his trips to Mass to visit with my dad, PWK flew up from Hope, Arkansas, in his lovely little Beech Bonanza.  I was about 10, and Mr Klipsch took me for a ride and got me hooked on flying.  Between me and my brothers, we have some Music Box memorabilia and memories that might interest you.  Feel free to contact me.

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  • Moderators
On 5/26/2023 at 12:15 PM, Cathy Bell said:

I just stumbled upon this post.  My grandfather, Nelson Bell, started the Music Box in the '30's, and my father, Bill Bell, took over and ran it until he closed shop in appx 1995.  Back in the day, on one of his trips to Mass to visit with my dad, PWK flew up from Hope, Arkansas, in his lovely little Beech Bonanza.  I was about 10, and Mr Klipsch took me for a ride and got me hooked on flying.  Between me and my brothers, we have some Music Box memorabilia and memories that might interest you.  Feel free to contact me.

I sent you an email, with a copy to the Museum Curator (who knew of your father quite well. In fact, he may be able to copy some things for you that might be of interest. Thank you so much for reaching out.

 

Travis

Trustee

Klipsch Heritage Museum Association

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Thanks, Travis!  I have responded to Cathy's email.  Quite interested in this chapter of Klipsch heritage.  Attached is Bill's credo, and a poor resolution pic of him arriving at the Brussels World's Fair in 1958 (top right).

image.jpeg

Arriving in Brussels 1958-2.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

 

Cathy, I lived in the Boston area in the late 1970s. I used to enjoy hearing your dad's radio ads for The Music Box on WCRB and once visited the store, although as a broke college student, I couldn't afford anything. I seem to recall one of his ads mentioned cheap audio equipment, which he described as "burger-fi". Great memories!

 

On 5/26/2023 at 1:15 PM, Cathy Bell said:

I just stumbled upon this post.  My grandfather, Nelson Bell, started the Music Box in the '30's, and my father, Bill Bell, took over and ran it until he closed shop in appx 1995.  Back in the day, on one of his trips to Mass to visit with my dad, PWK flew up from Hope, Arkansas, in his lovely little Beech Bonanza.  I was about 10, and Mr Klipsch took me for a ride and got me hooked on flying.  Between me and my brothers, we have some Music Box memorabilia and memories that might interest you.  Feel free to contact me.

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