I actually remember when these were being sold new.  I remember seeing
the Kimball units and another that was designed to be fitted on Hammond
electronic organs.  We are probably talking in the 1970s.  At the time,
I owned and still own an 88-note upright player that played well.

I remember seeing these things operate and there were a lot of rolls
that did not work well on them, which is understandable considering the
difference between an organ and a piano.  They were also expensive for
what they were.

The Kimball unit was built right into the organ, and the Hammond player
looked like a box that was added to the top of the organ.  The one added
to the Hammond may have worked on other brands as well.  Keep in mind,
the music house was also trying to sell me a new player piano at the
time and those did not compare to what I already had at home.

I guess that I am glad that someone is trying to save and archive this
history even though I was not a fan of these units.  I am sure that the
survivors are probably getting scrapped as badly as pianos are as of
this writing.  I am sure that by now,, there are problems with the
electronics in the organs themselves and the players.

As they did not sell well in the first place, there will be fewer of
these that will be available and the issue of playing at their best is
another issue as well.  With transistorized electronics, you can have
really serious problems with repairs and these players used parts that
if they fail are not always rebuild-able.

Good luck in your efforts and again, this is not a criticism but a pat
on the back for trying to preserve these units and the music that was
made specifically for them.

Randy Hammond