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MMD > Archives > September 2000 > 2000.09.28 > 12Prev  Next


Aeolian Pianola Player Adjustments
By Mike 'Fox' Morrey

Hello all.  So I got the player I was looking at earlier in the month,
after deliberation I decided to get it, and I am very pleased.  Built
around 1917 (I think, serial number 18611) it's an Aeolian.  The action
is all in good condition, and the player is in great condition for it's
age.  Doing some of the tests over at Player-Care, I can pump it, and
then stop pumping, and it will continue playing for a few seconds.

There are a couple things (you'll also have to pardon my jargon, not
completely familiar with the workings yet):

1.  I do have a leak somewhere, although a very small one.  I can hear
it.  It's either coming from the tube running up to the transmission
area, or in the.. uh.. bellows? at the foot pedals.  Would it be easier
to take care of now, or wait?

2.  Something I didn't notice until after I got it, which worries me
the most, is that on two or three notes up in the treble range, the
tuning pins are all the way against the sound board(?), and looks like
there's no more room for tuning.  Those keys are also horribly out of
tune, so much so they're maybe a full note below.  (The whole thing
needs tuning, but those are _bad_.)  I had remembered reading that this
could be a problem with the board that supports the tuning pins.  Is
this serious?

3.  Back to the player, there's a small brake on the top roll.  It
seems to be connected to the roll/reroll level.  However, it doesn't
do anything.  It's not ever touching the wheel on the spindle.  It
looks like it had used to (the wheel's polished) but it don't anymore.
What's it used for, exactly, and how do I adjust it back?  (Or should
it be adjusted?)

4.  And speaking of adjustments, tell me if I did this the right way
or not: the player uses the small finger for tracking the roll (on the
left side).  I noticed that my rolls were very slightly off-center to
the left.  The small valve which moves the top spindle has an adjustment
screw on it, and after looking at it, noticed that it doesn't do what
I wanted to do.  (It adjusts the amount the valve moves the roll.  How
far over to the RIGHT.)  So, after looking some more, I deduced that
the only way to adjust it to stop from going too far to the left was to
slightly bend the finger out.  It worked perfectly.

5.  Yup, still going.  On a few of the notes, mostly the lower ones,
as the note is repeated quickly, you can hear the valve 'snap'.  You
can hear the valves snap on all of the keys if you hold them down while
playing, but you can hear these through the note being played.
Possible problem there?

6.  Parts!  Mostly, I need a couple cabinet parts - two of the smaller
wooden knobs, and a couple  of the smaller black rubber pads.  And then
one part I never thought I'd ask for - a KEY! I'd like to get a key to
fit the small keyhole on the keyboard cover.  Any ideas?

Okay, finished.  Sorry for the long post, please feel free to e-mail
me.

Mike


(Message sent Thu 28 Sep 2000, 17:30:57 GMT, from time zone GMT-0600.)

Key Words in Subject:  Adjustments, Aeolian, Pianola, Player

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