Ampico Aficionados, If you play 88-note rolls on an Ampico, and it
has notes within the bottom two and the top two notes of a piano,
usually nothing happens. The expression system can't do much.

But if that 88-note roll calls for the third-from-the-top note, the
Ampico will re-roll ... Unless you've turned the Ampico system switch
'Off' and the machine is tubed and equipped to disable the Re-Roll
system.

If you play other reproducing piano manufacturer's rolls on an
Ampico, I imagine unpredictable expression effects will ensue unless
you turn the Ampico switch 'Off' _and_ the machine is tubed and
equipped to disable the Re-Roll system. (I understand that Welte rolls
make frequent use of 8T.)

My 1920 6'-4" Knabe 'early A' does not have the tubing and the
pouch-type valve that is shown in the 1919 and 1923 manuals for an
upright (tube labeled '17' and valve labeled 'Fig. H'). No published
tubing plan nor other On/Off/Repeat/Re-roll system drawings that I've
seen have the tube or the pouch-type valve.

Dave Saul's drawing does not show it, either. Art Reblitz's book dances
around the issue on pages 161-2; he says some grand's drawers have
enough pouch-type valves to do it but he doesn't cover the requisite
facts.

To disable the bit of the Ampico expression system that an 88-note roll
could play, or the entirety of some other reproducing piano system,
doesn't seem adequate to me without disabling 8T, the Ampico's re-roll.

All it would take is admitting atmosphere to the top of a re-roll
cut-off pouch-type valve; you could get it right from the Ampico switch
or as shown for an upright: through the tube labeled '17' in the
manuals.

I know my early 'A' doesn't disable the re-roll. I don't see how
a grand piano tubed like any of the information I have can disable the
re-roll. Apparently, upright Ampicos could disable the Re-Roll as part
of the Ampico Cut-Off system. Are there Ampico 'A' grands that do it?

Of course, this whole post is setting aside the discussion about why
you'd want to risk forgetting to manually Re-Roll, and why you wouldn't
be happy enough keeping a roll of tape handy to cover 1B-7B & 8T-1T.
And setting aside the discussion about how touchy the manual expression
buttons are!

Doug Heckrotte
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania