Marque Ampico, Bush Walking Etc.
By Darrell Clarke
G'day,
Thanks for the welcome and the comments re the Foster Marque AMPICO. Well at least I know mine wasn't an orphan! I do not have it any longer --- I exchanged it for an Alfa Romeo car, but that's another story!I was flying blind when I restored it about 15 years ago, but I still see it occasionally as it is now owned by a friend (badly needs tuning <piano, not friend !!>, but still running OK). I might still have some of my original diagrams, but if not, I can get access to the piano itself but this will take longer.
AFAIR, the description by Bob Conant is fairly close, but I do not believe there was any real crescendo effect, but rather a few fixed steps with no time factor. I did not have a *real* AMPICO to compare it with, but IMHO it must have fallen rather short of the correct interpretation. I suspect it was on a par with the pedal D-A's with the single expression system which are more common in this country than the full system. As for "bush walking", this is a popular leisure (?) activity in this country and can vary from 2-3 hours of strolling in nearby parks or woods to arduous cross country or mountain hikes of a number of days suited to the very fit and experienced only. There are many clubs which cater for the various abilities and plenty of guide books for the individuals. I am sure most countries have their equivalents. It is a great way to see your own or another country if you have the time :>).
BTW, I am a member of the Historical Radio Society of Australia and the Phonograph Society of South Australia (includes mech. music).
Cheers,
Darrell |
(Message sent Mon 13 May 1996, 23:25:00 GMT, from time zone GMT-0600.) |
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