Re: Foster Marque Ampico
By Bob Conant
In a message dated 96-05-10 02:47:10 EDT, Darrell Clarke writes:
>
> I have restored, to varying degrees, a number of player pianos,
> including a Foster Marque AMPICO upright
Darrell,
Tell me about your Foster Marque AMPICO. I have a Foster Marque AMPICO also, made in 1924 according to the serial number and Pierce's Piano Atlas. Mine has several unusual features. Normally, the Marque Ampico used standard Model A expression systems. Mine however, has no crescendo pneumatics, the crescendo being accomplished by several various sized bleeds on the input side of the expression pneumatic. Also, there is no "spring" pneumatic but rather a real mechanical spring. The piano also has a transposing tracker bar, unusual in a reproducing piano, a pneumatic with an indicator to show pump vacuum, presumably to help maintain a constant vacuum while pedaling, a pneumatic on top of the spool box connected to the "automatic off/on" switch and an automatic cutout assembly which is quite different from the usual Ampico device. When I bought the piano, it was disassembled so I spent a lot of time figuring out the tubing on the expression and cutout. I came up with a logical connection but it has never been confirmed by looking at another similar piano. I would be interested in any comments you might have based on your own piano or that anyone else on the list might have regarding these unusual expression devices. (They look factory stock original Ampico except for the variations noted. The piano was obviously built this way when new. It has definitely not been modified by anyone.)
Bob Conant
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(Message sent Fri 10 May 1996, 13:47:09 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.) |
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