•This heads-up was sent me by Peter Mintun and I pass it on here to the MMD. MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK PREMIERES THIS FALL ON PBS Tune in to PBS Wednesdays, October 6, 13, and 20 at 8:00 PM (check local listing). Watch a preview here(in case you miss the first installment): http://www.hu...

•I strongly recommend that Pat DeWitt simply remove the takeup spool, and insert shims so that the circular brass flanges at the ends of the spool are now further away from the center of the wooden cylinder that is the take-up spool. By making the takeup spool wider, rolls will not be damaged as the...

•I have gotten a few requests to give more details on a "refinishing" technique that I may have read about or maybe I made it up myself, but regardless, it is an easy way to make old finish look a heck of a lot better with minimal work. Basically, it consists of using an atomizer or spray gun to app...

•[ Ref. 101116 MMDigest, Half Duo-Art Theme Levers ] I think I can help John Phillips with his Steck and Stroud Pianola questions. In my opinion, the three positions of the Duo-Art switch in the spoolbox have nothing to do with the Themodist. If you are playing a Duo-Art roll, the switch is ON, and ...

•Words like Liebeslied and Liebesleid have been mixed up countless times because "e" is sometimes pronounced with an "i" sound, and vice versa. I have a handy method of guessing how to pronounce the "ei" or the "ie" in words that originated in Europe. Simply give the pronunciation to the second lett...

•I have seen one or two Telektra mechanisms at Rick Smith's Piano Exchange in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York. I haven't the slightest idea if they are for sale or not, but the phone number is 516-671-6515. There might be other player mechanisms available, too. Randolph Herr

•I have to say I feel a little funny writing this paragraph on my good friend, Bob Streicher. (Relax, he's okay!) But I suppose I would feel even worse not writing it, so here goes. Bob called me up the other day and said business is really bad for him. Sending jobs overseas has not only made the to...

•I have some comments regarding the Duo-Art thread. I am aware of four different Duo-Art test rolls, and they all have different standards of chord tests. The most common test roll is the 1927 "Audiographic" tester which is intended for the 80-note action stacks. Before this roll, there was the 1921...

•I think that GE Silicone Rubber (Type 1) is a fabulous product. I have never used, or even seen, any RTV (room temperature vulcanizing) product sold as an adhesive. My experience has been that GE Silicone Rubber Type 1 sticks to wood yet comes off easily when you want it to. As for removing it from...

•I am putting up for sale my 88-65 note Aeolian push-up Pianola. Most Pianolas come in an ebonized, or black, finish but this one is in red African mottled mahogany. It works perfectly, and this is the machine that I played in Carnegie Hall at the request of Michael Feinstein. You can see and hear i...

•It was a year or two back that I wrote in to MMD saying that unless we are very specific about a product, then we are all blind people feeling different parts of an elephant and arguing back and forth endlessly. I was really surprised to read that silicone adhesive ruins a stack because it is slipp...

•Recently I wrote in to MMD saying that there are a minimum of three different Duo-Art test rolls from approximately 1914, 1921, and 1928 [110301 MMDigest, Duo-Art Won't Play Chords Softly]. It is meaningless to ask if a Duo-Art can play three notes at the zero level because there are three slightly...

•I am pretty sure Bob Streicher can make that strange metric tap and die. Contact him at Robert "Bob" Streicher P. O. Box 36 Pond Eddy, New York 12770-0039 tel.: 1-570-559-7403 (in Shohola, Pennsylvania) Randolph Herr

•I am seriously considering buying an 88/65-note Aeolian push-up Pianola in totally unrestored condition. It appears to have been left alone, thank goodness, for the last 90 to 100 years. It is complete and in very good original condition. I would appreciate it if you would write in to MMD saying wh...

•I have to say I am surprised that one video I have on my YouTube channel, AeolianHall1, has about 120,000 views; all my other videos do not have nearly as many hits. I made the video by playing my 88-note push-up Pianola, and I am responsible for the tempo and expression. The video is of the Duo-Ar...

•I have come across a Steck grand Pianola piano from around 1913. It is located in New Jersey. As I understand it, the owners have to sell it and the price is very small; next to nothing, as I hear it. It has been refinished and it is in that gorgeous African mottled mahogany wood that was so popula...

•Bob Streicher used to make these, and he may still be making them. His phone number is 570-559-7403. As I recall, he used to freeze the rubber blocks before drilling them. Randolph Herr [ The word was that Bob Streicher was retiring. But it is worth a [ phone call to him to find out. See the MMD Su...

•Hi Clinton: The first thing to do is remove the governor and make notes on how things are connected. All governors have two air paths: (1) The first path air is pulled through the "governor" or "regulator", which is usually a slide valve to limit how much air can flow through it. This governing kee...

•Does anyone have a MIDI file of Percy Granger's performance of the Grieg Concerto? Thanks. Randolph Herr

•People who have been following the discussion on preventing roll slippage may find it interesting to see all the articles that have been written and stored in the MMD Archives; look under Brake and Brakes: http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/B/brake.html http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/B/br...