Hello MMDers,  I am glad to see the subject of placing gaskets between
pneumatics come up.  It has been on my mind for some weeks now.  In my
limited experience, I have found, with the exception of Aeolian
products, all the players I have worked on did not have gaskets.
Every Aeolian I have worked on did (with the exception of the ones
that had been gone over previously, in which case the gaskets were
usually substituted with a generous smathering of white glue).

The gasketed pneumatics were much easier to remove and in many cases
almost no damage to deck or boards resulted.  Consequently, I have
made it my practice to gasket all surfaces which will need to be
removed in the future.

However, I wonder if perhaps there is some reason this is not a good
idea.  Was this practice largely unpracticed(?) for reasons other than
cost effectiveness?  My experience with Aeolian is that they were
seemingly more concerned with making a good product than with what it
cost to do so.  It would stand to reason, however, that most of the
manufacturers had their eye on turning a profit (in addition,
hopefully, to producing a good player).

If this is a good practice, what would make a good cheap gasket?
(Emphasis on 'cheap'!)  I have used various types of leather, paper
and even some cheap motor cloth and am still looking for a good ratio
of price to performance.

Finally, in the case of gasketed striker pneumatics, has anyone seen
any fall off?  If so, after how much use?

All the best,
Rob Buckingham