Gerry Wright’s career in antique music box restoration began not through formal apprenticeship, but through a rare convergence of mechanical aptitude, musical training, and necessity.
Now the owner and principal restorer of Rita Ford’s Music Boxes, Wright is recognized as one of the most technically proficient specialists in antique music box restoration in the United States. His work centers on the diagnosis, repair, and complete mechanical restoration of precision musical instruments dating from the early 19th through the early 20th centuries—objects that combine metallurgy, acoustics, and mechanical engineering long before the advent of recorded sound.
Originally trained as a classical musician, Wright performed professionally in New York City, including chamber music engagements at Carnegie Hall. That background proved foundational: an understanding of pitch, timing, harmony, and tonal balance later became essential when restoring musical combs, regulating governors, and re-establishing proper tempo and articulation within mechanical movements.
In 1984, seeking a stable supplemental income while continuing freelance performance, Wright joined Rita Ford Music Boxes—founded in 1947 and historically the only complete music box shop in the United States to sell, service, and restore both antique and contemporary music boxes. By that time, founder Rita Ford had narrowed her business exclusively to spring-driven musical mechanisms and automata, having previously operated multiple Manhattan-area locations.
Wright’s early responsibilities included basic maintenance tasks such as cleaning metal discs and components for large disc music boxes. However, his aptitude for mechanical systems quickly became evident. He began disassembling and repairing movements, identifying wear patterns, correcting alignment issues, and restoring damaged components—often without prior instruction.
Largely self-taught, Wright developed his technical skill through extensive study of period repair manuals and hands-on experimentation using broken or discarded mechanisms. He mastered highly specialized procedures such as replacing individual teeth on steel musical combs—a process requiring precise metallurgy, tuning accuracy, heat control, and finishing techniques to restore proper tonal quality without compromising the comb’s structural integrity.
“This is work that involves far more steps than most people realize,” Wright noted. “Each tooth must be fabricated, fitted, hardened, tempered, shaped, and tuned. Very few restorers do this correctly.”
As his technical proficiency expanded, Wright became the primary specialist relied upon for complex restorations. His work extended beyond music boxes to include automata, singing bird cages, and bird boxes, where he performs full bellows restoration, leather recovery, airflow regulation, and synchronization of movement and sound. These mechanisms, though varied in form, share common engineering principles that Wright applies systematically across restorations.
In 1991, Mr Wright and family aquired Rita Forn Music Boxes and continued operation both the retail business and restoration workshop. They later opened a second location at the Short Hills mall in 1994, while maintaining the Mahattan location.
Today, Mr. Wright works primarily on European and American music boxes as well as automata from the 19th century. His restoration philosophy prioritizes historical accuracy and preservation of original materials, ensuring that each instrument retains its mechanical, acoustic, and physical authenticity.
His expertise has been recognized beyond the antiques field. Wright recently served as a technical consultant for an episode of NBC’s The Blacklist, advising production designers on the accurate handling and operation of antique music box mechanisms and instructing actor James Spader on correct workshop technique for authenticity on screen.
For Wright, restoration is both technical problem-solving and historical preservation.
“Every project is an exercise in mechanical logic,” he said. “You’re diagnosing failures, correcting tolerances, rebuilding systems, and restoring sound as it was intended to be heard—often for the first time in decades.”
By returning abandoned or damaged instruments to full working condition, Wright preserves not only their beauty, but the mechanical ingenuity and musical intent of an earlier era—ensuring these precision instruments continue to function as living artifacts rather than silent relics.
