Thanks for everyone's response.  I don't believe I have fully explained
what I wanted to do.  This piano I am building is unlike anything I have
ever done.  It is actually built from three junk pianos.  I guess you
could call it a mutt.

I rebuilt the piano to record and playback my arrangements from the
computer to assist me in editing as well as a regular player piano to
enjoy.  I took a bunch of useless junk and tried to make it usable.
It is turning out quite nice.  Let me explain...

This piano is built from three old American Piano Co. pianos: the plate
and soundboard is Foster & Co., the case is a Marshall & Wendell, and the
piano action is from yet another Marshall & Wendell.

The stringing scale pattern is from my own design (it sounds great).  The
player action is unknown, anyway it fit, and it is also equipped with a
QRS recording contact-strip.

I am putting a Pianomation in it also.  Since this unit fits under the
keybed I am going to install the original stack and have the best of both
worlds.  I cut the slots in the keybed today and --  you guessed it --
spent the rest of the afternoon regulating it again

The reason I built such a collection of parts is to be able to record and
playback my arrangements on a actual piano, and to have a roll player to
enjoy, all in one unit.  (Besides, the parts were just gathering dust.)

Okay, here is my idea --

I believe if a roll "reader" could be built, it would be a handy piece
of equipment.  If the unit could be made portable it might be a sell-able
product.  You put the roll on and as it operates the output is MIDI.
It could be either pneumatic or electronic pickup.

This I think would be handy for the following reasons.  It would copy
rolls into a MIDI file to reduce wear on rare old rolls.  The Piano-
mation, PianoDisc and any 88 note electronic keyboard could play rolls.
Any of the new electronic players could operate in the classic "roll
mode".  People without a player piano could play  rolls on their computer
and would become potential customers (which would benefit everybody).

It could probably be taken a step further and made to play reproducing
rolls, but I am not sure how that would work.  Maybe it could read the
roll with wire brushes like the old Mills Violano machines and eliminate
the pneumatics all together..

I would very much like some advice on building such a device.  A record
strip could be taken apart  and reassembled into several rows to prevent
the device from being too wide, and played with Simplex pneumatics or
maybe a set of small primary valves

The record strip in my piano wouldn't work for this with the Pianomation
being in the same piano.  If this is left on when the Pianomation is
working it doesn't know what to do and the keys lock on and stay there.
It will take a separate record strip.  Of course a electric motor could
drive and rewind the roll.  The unit should cut off when it is shifted
into rewind.

Well, there I go daydreaming again!!!

Andy Taylor
Missouri