RE: Ragtime Player Pianos
By Rocci Cirone
I've been to the Ragtime Warehouse and watched one being installed... haven't actually done one myself yet (I'm saving up for the full Band Organ Kit!). Anyway... The system is *very* nice. There are a couple drawbacks, though... (at least they were drawbacks for me) I wanted to be able to use my collection of 88 note rolls, and not have to invest in a bunch of rather pricey O rolls. Also, the standard installation puts the roll/tracker mechanism underneath the keybed on the bottom of the piano. I would rather have it where I don't have to get on all fours to change a roll. Of course, if you're using O rolls, changing rolls doesn't have to happen as often... I was also a little concerned about the need to drill some rather large holes in the piano to get the whole thing in.
On the up side, the mechanism is easily expandable - Ragtime has pipe (reed and calliope), xylophone, accordian, and many percussion kits. Also, the whole thing is made of high-quality durable parts that they manufacture themselves. Chances are, the player mechanism would outlast your piano - its mostly metal, plastic, pvc... etc.
I would suggest ordering their catalog and their installation video. I picked one up and it gave me a good idea of what's involved with installation. It also has several demonstrations of their other instruments (as well as some other MechMusic stuff they've acquired over the years - including a Mills Violano.)
-rocci
ps: thanks for the info on the Taj Mahal everyone...
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(Message sent Mon 11 Nov 1996, 16:13:26 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
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