•I am a player piano technician in the New York City metropolitan area. I see _a lot_ of player pianos which are very hard to pedal due to leakage. The most common player I "run across" is the post-WW2 Aeolian, the next most common is older Standard/Autopiano systems, followed then by miscellaneous ...

• Rust On Piano Strings Just thought I would put a couple thoughts in the mix. I am not a piano tech. I just love the old players and the mechanical wonders inside. When I look at pianos that are close to 100 years old I have not personally seen one that does not have rusty or corroded strings. It s...

•For dimensional stability, plywood is best. For shelving strength, solid wood is better. For any given thickness of wood, plywood has some fraction of it's layers with the grain oriented so it doesn't add much strength. For a roll cabinet, here's what I'd do: Measure the width, thickness and depth ...

•Adding some rather random factoids to what's been said, the paper used for music rolls is "Machine Glazed Bleached Kraft", about 60 grammes per square metre. There's more to it than that, of course... One major attribute of music-roll paper is that it must run straight and not wander from side to s...

•[ Ref David Dewey in 141004 MMDigest -- It sounds like David's friend's Ampico is in need of a good, old-fashioned regulation. As I'm sure other readers will chime in with good suggestions regarding the regulation and adjustment of the roll tracking and tempo adjustments as they pertain to this Amp...

•Announcing the Mechanical Music Library, International, Inc. -- a research library covering all mechanical musical instruments and automata. Our hobby, and enthusiasm for mechanical musical instruments, is in decline. Membership in the Musical Box Society International (MBSI), the Automatic Musical...

•Seldom do I find an occasion to take exception with any advice offered by my good friend, Bob Taylor, however I would like to make an observation about his comments in MMD 150328 regarding windway sealing. While "shellac" has been the historic "go to" material for sealing pores and small cracks in ...

•The rotary pumps installed in Duo-Art grand pianos were made in two sizes: 15" and 17". The 17" pump was installed as original equipment in the later Steinway grands. Early Duo-Art grands (those early ones converted from the steamboat pump in a separate cabinet) would take only a 15" pump because t...

•Since this problem seems to occur only with original rolls, let's start there. If a roll is unevenly wound, tightened and stored in a hot attic or damp basement, the paper will be effectively "trained" to wander back and forth when played. You tap the paper down against the right (slotted) flange w...

•I thank Craig Smith for his post about fixing stripped screw holes. I especially appreciated the tip about dripping some CA glue into them! Additionally, though, if you want to prevent such stripping, it is helpful to put the screws back where they came from (particularly important on Steinway acti...

•Hi there, to the most degree Robbie already hit the nail on the head with the reservoir being "the" shock-absorber for short, heavy bursts of lots of air required, whether that be due to lots of notes playing, or lots of ranks being on at the same time, or most likely: both! Most of the other point...

•Before presenting a possible solution to the Fan-Accordion System Mystery [171206 MMDigest], some relevant background material is needed. The so-called fan-accordion system is sometimes found in Aeolian associated Duo-Art pianos made after about 1928, and always found in Concertola-equipped (single...

•[ Wayne Lincoln wrote in 190130 MMDigest -- > I have an Ampico A in a Fischer baby grand that plays too softly. > All parts have been rebuilt on this unit, but I'm having trouble > regulating the "regulating valves" to play loud enough. The most important part of Ampico expression is setting the in...

•Regarding the Steampunk Tone, um, thing, I would think that the type of connector would tell the most about its use. In case this might help, there is a group with a monthly publication called "Horns and Whistles". Their interest is largely in horns such as are found on the Great Lakes freight ship...

•[ Ref. David Krall in 230425 MMDigest ] My first player piano was a Farrand upright which played nicely when 35 years old. It had vertical mounted valves. Each valve was suspended on a short wood arm which was held in place by 2 sharp pins. The pins made a low friction contact as held between by a ...

•I've been in Poland since the start of February and I brought all of my rolls that I made for myself using my Spencer Chase laser perforator to play on my Francis Bacon player piano. It not only has a functioning tracking pneumatic (rebuilt by Lance Reed five years ago so it's snappy as heck) but i...

•You know Craig, your suggestion about moving the piano lid up and down to control the volume on my Duo-Art might work. I may have just enough vacuum to move the lid if I add a counter weight or heavy spring to the system. What do you think. One problem that has been bugging me is about the Duo-Art ...

•Here are some comments on our experience with various types of cloth for stack pneumatics. I have no connection with any supply company and have no reason to endorse any product except for my interest in high quality restoration. * Rubber cloth, Schaff or Player Piano Co., circa 1966: Seeburg KT, S...

•Dear Fellow MMD'ers: Last December I had an opportunity to travel to Cuba to attend the Havana International Film Festival. I have been meaning to provide this report to the Digest, but like many things related to Cuba, time seems to have slipped away. Cubans love music. It's in their souls. It's o...

•The Weber Unika, Philipps Paganini and certain other European instruments play violin solos with great realism. Seeburg G and H orchestrions also have great sounding pipes, but the music was never intended to imitate a human violinist. Rather, these orchestrions have always been at the top of many ...