Australia Dan,  I thought I had a Laffargue among a dozen players in
my storeroom.  Sure enough, it's there, piled with junk and nearly
inaccessible.  I pried the lid up a little and found the serial number.
Mine is a couple years older than yours, apparently.

The black button to the right of the tempo lever is "Silencer".  There
is a similar button at the opposite end labeled "Loud".  I can't get
into the piano to see what the action is.

You said yours is Amphion.  There are variations.  I hope you have the
style with individual demountable block valves.  That will be easy to
repair and will work beautifully when finished.  The Reblitz book seems
to be the favorite.  It contains more information than you ever wanted
to know.  Slipping the stack in and out requires no magic but a little
common sense in avoiding smashing the ends off the lifters as you get
it almost into place.  I'm sure the book will explain this concern
thoroughly.

I note you refer to the player as a pianola.  I think folks in your
part of the world use that term generically for player-piano.  I see
you've already been scolded for applying a trade mark name to a player
which is not that brand.

I am amused by such usage.  Aren't all vacuum cleaners in England
called "Hoovers", and housecleaning may include "hoovering" the rugs,
I believe.  Kodak, Victrola, Frigidaire, Kleenex, Scotch Tape, Linoleum
and Xerox are all brand names here that have long since become generic
labels for all similar items.

Good luck with your Laffargue pianola!
Improperly,
Doug Hershberger
North Tonawanda, New York, USA