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Playing 88-Note Rolls on Ampico Player Piano
By Jack M. Conway

Hi Group,  There must be a tech out there that remembers the
modification that was done to my Ampico upright.  It was done by John
Patterson of Carty Piano when the piano was restored.

The way the piano is set up now, when you play an 88-note roll you turn
the Automatic (Ampico) switch to off.  Then the piano plays very loud
on Brilliant but the modify switch then works as a volume control with
Brilliant being loud and Subdued soft.  The key slip buttons work if
the piano is set for Ampico.

On top of the spool box is a small valve block and a small finger
pneumatic with a pad that closes on a nipple.  There are three nipples
in the valve block: two on the back and one on the right end.  The
nipple on the right end has a knotted tube connected to block it.  It
seems that two other tubes were changed from the standard set up.

The piano was modified in 1972 so I know longer remember exactly what
was done.  It seems to me that this modification was written up in the
AMICA Journal at about that time, with an explanation of how it worked
and how to do it.

You do not have to modify any rolls in any way and the modification
does not affect the Ampico reproduction system at all.

Jack M. Conway, Los Angeles, California, USA


(Message sent Tue 2 Nov 2004, 00:35:19 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.)

Key Words in Subject:  88-Note, Ampico, Piano, Player, Playing, Rolls

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