Andy Ott's question about tracking old rolls without worry of tearing
is one I've addressed on two of my Steinways with a great deal of
satisfaction.  I have 2,000 recordings, many originals, and I even
play Duo-Art Audiographics without worry.

Both of these pianos have floating tracker-bars, which means the
tracker mechanism moves the bar, not the top chuck.  There is a piece
of metal screwed in to hold the top chuck in place.  I remove it and
put a cam there, typical of a standard Duo-Art grand.  Original cams
fit perfectly.

I run a rod of the same type used to move the top chuck on most Duo-Art
grands to a pneumatic of the same size as Aeolian used on its early
single tracker models.  I tube it to the supply for the hammer-rail lift
valve above the keyboard.  When the piano is on play, this pneumatic is
always closed.  This centers the paper during play.

The tracker ears on my two models are mounted as Aeolian did
originally, similarly to Ampico ears, except that Aeolian designed them
to be adjustable so that, if perchance the roll is cut not perfectly on
center (which many recuts are not), the ears can be adjusted simply as
the roll begins, even more easily than on standard 1920s Duo-Art pianos.

When the piano flips on to reroll, the top chuck moves to the right
1/4 to 3/8 inch so the paper will never touch the right spool end.
All my left spool ends are movable, and I move them out 3/8 to 1/2 inch
so the paper will never touch the left flange (spool-end) either.  It's
worked for me for the past 30 years.

Once the habit is established of pulling out the left flange, and of
course making sure it holds in place, rolls do not tear on the edges.
This also makes knocking the paper to the right end and tightening it
adequately before boxing it very easy.

I can not imagine how one might address the problem with an Ampico.

Bruce Grimes