I've been to the Ragtime Warehouse and watched one being
installed... haven't actually done one myself yet (I'm saving up for
the full Band Organ Kit!). Anyway... The system is *very* nice.
There are a couple drawbacks, though... (at least they were drawbacks
for me) I wanted to be able to use my collection of 88 note rolls,
and not have to invest in a bunch of rather pricey O rolls. Also, the
standard installation puts the roll/tracker mechanism underneath the
keybed on the bottom of the piano. I would rather have it where I don't
have to get on all fours to change a roll. Of course, if you're using O
rolls, changing rolls doesn't have to happen as often... I was also a
little concerned about the need to drill some rather large holes in the
piano to get the whole thing in.
On the up side, the mechanism is easily expandable - Ragtime has
pipe (reed and calliope), xylophone, accordian, and many percussion
kits. Also, the whole thing is made of high-quality durable parts that
they manufacture themselves. Chances are, the player mechanism would
outlast your piano - its mostly metal, plastic, pvc... etc.
I would suggest ordering their catalog and their installation
video. I picked one up and it gave me a good idea of what's involved
with installation. It also has several demonstrations of their other
instruments (as well as some other MechMusic stuff they've acquired
over the years - including a Mills Violano.)
-rocci
ps: thanks for the info on the Taj Mahal everyone...
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