Robbie, I'll explain how we got the record strip to work with the player
action.  This may not be for everyone, but it works perfect.

The record strip mounts under the front of the keys.  This position
ignores any rail breaks on the piano.  There was no way to mount it on
the piano action without major modification to the strip.  That thing was
expensive, so I thought Id try some safer method that could be undone in
case it didn't work.  This will cause some laughs from the pros, but I
solved the problem with thumbtacks, rubber bands, and speednuts!

Here's how: I thought if I could tie the sticker and key to each other,
the front of the key would engage the record strip.  I stuck thumbtacks
in the stickers, got a small rubber band and put it around the back of
the key, put the key back in the piano and hooked the rubber band on to
the thumbtack.

Did it work?  Well, almost.  Now the key wanted to ride up the balance
pin instead of pivot and pull down the front of the key like it should.
I went to the hardware store and found some small speednuts and installed
them on the balance rail pins to keep the centers of the keys where they
belong.  Now the whole thing works perfect and records rolls great!

The piano is no stiffer to play by hand than it was to begin with.  Plus
a bonus I didn't expect:  On a upright piano, when you are playing fast
repeated notes by hand, there is a split second when the sticker
will leave the capstan resulting in a loss of control.  This effect is
not noticeable, but is there.  The cakewalk program will point this out
in short order.  Not only is the piano twice as responsive (by the
keyboard), the Midi file is much cleaner due to the fact when you let go
of the key, it returns instantly.

If I ever need to remove the piano action, all I need to do is unhook the
rubber bands.  I am going to double-hinge the pneumatics because they
have a bit more stress on them than before.

When the piano is assembled, you will never know the difference.  Rubber
bands are cheap -- if they ever rot out they can be easily replaced.  The
whole modification can be undone in a matter of minutes.

Best regards,

Andy T Taylor

 [ That's a fine story, Andy.  Thanks for writing.  -- Robbie