Tim Baxter wrote:

> John -- Thanks for your prompt response.  I will readjust per your
> instructions.  Hopefully I have not been "over-sustaining" the rolls
> I've recently created and have been testing on my piano.  I have the
> Reblitz book, which should also be able to assist (but I'll be
> following your specs).
>
> But I still have one more inquiry (and you will know the answer):
> Do you think there is an increased responsiveness for the sustain
> pneumatic (on a Standard Player Action) when the MANUAL sustain
> button is used, as opposed to when the sustain is turned through
> the tracker bar?

Hi Tim,  One of the reasons I didn't address that part of your posting
was that I was unsure about exactly what you meant.  Under most circum-
stances, the manual sustain is a lever action with direct connection to
the sustain pedal rod which in turn operates the sustain lever on the
piano action.  However, if you have a push-button type 'manual' sustain,
it simply activates the pneumatic sustain device exactly as does the
hole in the tracker bar.

Theoretically, the push-button shouldn't activate the device any differ-
ently than the hole in the tracker bar.  If it does, it indicates a
problem in the line leading from the tracker bar, through the 'on/off'
switch and on to the device.  First, I'd check to see that the lines
are clear by back-blowing from the tube at the sustain device.

It's pretty common to find paper dust in the lines (which can not
happen with the push-button because no paper is involved).  Next, I'd
check the line from the push-button to the device.  In a perfect world,
the amount of resistance to air flow will be identical in both the line
from the tracker bar and the line from the push-button.  If they are not
the same, therein lies your problem.  Tracing down the difference may
be somewhat difficult but a quick fix would be to run a direct line
from the sustain device to the tracker bar, circumventing the switch.

Another common arrangement of the auto-sustain and push-button is that
the lines are tee'ed together under the keybed, above the sustain
device.  If you have this type of arrangement, you will have to pinch
off the 'other' line when testing for air flow.

Musically,
John A. Tuttle (johntuttle@playercare.com)