[ reprinted from Digest 960924, "Empeco Mystery Solved?" ]

A couple of months ago I asked MMD subscribers if anyone new anything
about Empeco Expression rolls.  Several people very kindly responded
but no-one was able to produce much solid information.

I think I've found the answer; on my own bookshelf!  I was looking up
the nominal widths of various piano rolls and there on page 102 of
Treasures of Mechanical Music by Art Reblitz and David Bowers (Vestal
Press, 1981) was the following:

EMPECO EXPRESSION PIANOS

The Empeco system, popular in Europe but virtually unknown in America,
was used by Philipps, Kastner and several other European manufacturers
in the same manner that the Recordo system in America was installed in
different piano makes.  While most Empeco pianos were made for home
use, some Empeco systems were installed in coin-operated instruments
for use in public locations.

    EMPECO ROLL (Expression roll)

        1       Mezzoforte
        2       Decrescendo
        3       Mandolin off/on
        4       Sustaining pedal
        5       Bass accent
        6 - 91, 86 playing notes
        92      Rewind
        93      Shutoff
        94      Treble accent
        95      Crash decrescendo
        96      Treble crash
        97      Cancel
        98      Mezzo piano

Hole 3 has three vertical holes in the tracker bar which are
multiplexed to turn the mandolin on and off.

That's it from Art and David.  I could add that my four rolls have
snakebite accent perfs and play perfectly well on my Themodist upright
pedal player .  I guess that means that the thin horizontal slots on a
Themodist tracker bar are at holes 5 and 94.

I do have a few ordinary Empeco classical rolls.  These are just like
most other makes of European classical player rolls.  They are themed
but they don't have a Metrostyle line.

John Phillips.