•Hello MMD readers, From time to time I've seen a reference to the Themodist (a.k.a. Solodant, Melodant or "accent holes") as "expression". This is not true! The solo devices separate the music into a melody line, while suppressing the rest of the arrangement (bass/treble) into a secondary dynamic, ...

•Hi All, Just curious to know if anyone has any thoughts concerning the reason for installing a keylock (or key lock) device in an upright player piano. I've come up with a couple of reasons that seem fairly logical but I'd like to find out if it was just an advertising gimmick or if there is docume...

•In response to John Tuttle's question of the key lock device in players, I think that Art Reblitz is correct; the lock was there to make the piano action respond to some of the rolls that have a lot of tremolo (repeating notes) and where some people prefer to play the rolls really fast. The key loc...

•The key lock on a player piano can help improve the repetition of the player action but only if the keys are weighted to be front heavy. A 'correctly designed' player piano will have keys weighted so that when the action is operated by the pneumatic the key will stay where it is. This means you won...

•Among other purposes, the key lock keeps the keys themselves from weighing down the piano action and make it more responsive when played with a roll. As slight as it is, the key weight can have a discernable effect on the piano action under certain conditions with certain types of music. Hal Davis ...

•Hallo community, I am investigating the self-playing device for organs named "Organola", built from 1904 to about 1917 by the manufacturer E. F. Walcker of Ludwigsburg, Germany. I am searching for information about Organola and titles of the rolls for Organola. They are 58-key rolls of the same ext...

•This might be a bit off topic. A few years ago the hardware stores in the Seattle area were touting an electricity saving device that plugged into the outlet, and the appliance (fridge, piano, etc.) would run using less current. Did they work as advertised? Would they ruin a piano motor? Bill Chapm...

•The product Bill Chapman referred to in 060123 MMDigest is called a "Green Plug", made by Green Technologies, Inc. I can only assume that Green Technologies is out of business as a web search turns up a company by the same name that makes custom designed wheelchairs. I remember seeing a display for...

•Years ago, even though I knew better, I bought one of the Green Plugs mostly out of curiosity. I have a watt-hour meter that I used to measure a day's worth of power consumption from my freezer without the Green Plug. Then I tried again with the Green Plug between the freezer and the watt-hour mete...

•Hello, In spite of their high price at the time, I bought a few of the "Green Plugs" for various reasons. They were supposed to be active power factor controllers, which is a good idea, but I think the design was not good as this sort of thing really needs to be carefully matched to the requirement...

•Eight years ago I, too, purchased a "Green Plug" by Green Technologies after seeing the same side-by-side "power-saving" display at my local Home Depot as described by MMDer Ray Finch. It's physically the size of a pack of cigarettes. For any "power saving" device to be cost-effective it must be us...

•-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD -- I have a Marshall and Wendell Ampico A, serial no. 110354. In my never-ending quest to refine and understand the Ampico mechanism, I need some information on the lost motion device of the Ampico A. I have searched the MMD Archives and could find ...

•Hi Robert and MMDer's, I have limited experience of the Ampico A lost motion eliminator in that I have rebuilt just one unit. Strangely it is in a 1919 5'8" Chickering (presumably retro)fitted with a late (1927?) A system. The rail on which the flange fingers rest was missing and I had to make a ne...

•The lost motion device is a refinement that was installed in _some_ of the later model "A" Ampico player units, and is usually found in all of the model "B" units. Assuming the pneumatic stack is adjusted properly, with no lost motion between the poppets and the piano action at rest, when the soft ...

•How about Art Reblitz's book, "Player Piano Servicing & Rebuilding," on pneumatic piano restoration? Seems to me it has _everything_ covered, especially Ampico. Bob Hodge

•Hi folks, Since the wireless MIDI discussion started, I've revived a project that I've been working on for a while. Rather than a wireless MIDI connection, what I want is remote control of the computer that controls the piano. I don't mind a cable going from the computer to the piano, but I do mind...

•Hello -- If there is anyone on the list who is knowledgeable about de-compiling firmware in a MIDI device in order to reprogram a specific function, I would be interested in contacting them privately. I need to change one simple but important input parameter for a project. Thanks, Rob Goodale, RPT ...

•It seems that a previous owner removed the key-locking device in my 1916 Foster-Armstrong player, leaving only the pull used to control it. (The keyboard lock prevents the keys from moving when the piano is roll-operated.) I was wondering whether anyone has pictures of how the device is installed u...

•First, check under the keys. Usually there is a long rectangular piece of wood on a hinge that pushes up on the bottom of the keys. If that is still there, you have at least half of what you need. Most of the time, the device is simple, usually the handle pushes up on a short rod to push the long p...

•The Foster & Co. keylock is a very simple device. It is constructed of a small 1/2" x 3" board that is as long as the keybed. This board is hinged in the back by five small common hinges. If you look carefully, there will be evidence of these. There was small metal bellcrank fastened to the board o...