In response to the query from Robbie, with regard to adding Recordo to
ordinary foot-pumped players, the following information will, hopefully,
prove useful.  I am assuming, of course, that "ordinary players" means
those WITHOUT a divided stack that have soft bass and soft treble
controls at the keyslip.

Three things need to happen in order to convert ordinary players to
Recordo players:

(1) You need a Recordo trackerbar which has five elongated slots at each
end.  This trackerbar should take advantage of the tracking system
already installed in the piano to be converted to Recordo.  In other
words, if your piano has a Standard player action, then the trackerbar to
be installed should have the double tracking holes at each end.
Otherwise, you would probably have to construct a different tracking
system.

(2) The hammer rail needs to be divided between C# and D instead of
between E and F, for example.  This requires a little woodworking, but
usually is not a problem, and

(3) The expression mechanism needs to be designed along "vertical" lines,
since there is usually room to install a vertical expression box at the
side of the bellows, but not a horizontal one.  There are many different
kinds of expression boxes that can be constructed, but I suggest that one
of the easiest to construct makes use of the thin rubber regulator pouch
and metal grid like the Ampico B, although in this case it should be
round instead of rectangular.

The three requirements listed above are really the minimum as far as a
Recordo conversion is concerned.  Tracker bars, for example are available
(check out the ads in the AMICA magazine), and in fact, I have two
"surplus" bars if anybody wants to get started and try a conversion.

If anyone has further questions about any of the points mentioned above,
I would be delighted to help them if I can.

Ron Rainville

 [ Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Ron, I hope you get some inquiries.
 [ -- Robbie