Subject: Time: 12:58 PM OFFICE MEMO RE stein. player Date: 2/21/96 ------------ORIGINAL POST---------------- I have a model 'O' from the 20's that at one time had a AMPICO reproducer in it. When the piano arrived in my shop it was without player action, in boxes, and had been broken down into all of its' separate pieces. We rebuilt the piano (sounds pretty good) and it is functioning in all repects except for the shift pedal.---- 1.The lever arm from the player does not extend into the keyframe cavity but stops flush with the top of the keybed. 2. There is nothing in any of the parts left over from the player that would make the shift lever function. 3. There does not appear to have ever been any connection from the shift lever to the keyframe,(no rub marks). 4. a440.5The old decal identified the player as a " AMPICO REPRODUCER". Ques ??? a. anyone have any idea how the shift mechanism worked? Ques ??? b. any way to get it working short of making a new lever arm, cutting a slot in the keyframe back rail, etc.? any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Jim Bryant (FL) ----------------REPLY---------------- Because of all the "stuff" underneath the key bed in a grand reproducer, there is no room for the traditional shift lever. Steineway overcame this problem by locating the shift bearing more directly under the pedal and "connected" the shift lever to the action frame via a block of wood screwed to the action frame (I believe to the balance rail). There needed to be a hole in the key bed to provide access to the block; and to remove the action on one of their reproducers, the pedal had to be removed and this block of wood taken off the key frame. The block of wood is probably no longer on your piano because the player action was discarded and someone took the block of wood (bearing for the shift pedal) off the frame to make removing the action easier. Ken Sloane, Oberlin Conservatory
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