Since there has been a lot of discussion about automatic trackers, so I
thought I'd throw in my two cents for what its worth.
I really think the old Baldwin tracker is one of the best made. If it's
adjusted right the floating triangle in these will work on any variations
of roll, without having to readjust anything. They have no valves to mess
up, and no pouches -- nothing to really get out of adjustment. Some of
them have a override switch to lock it into a fixed position if you wish.
Even though Foster pianos is what I collect, the Baldwin players are
really first rate in my book. First the piano itself is really built
well, the scale is sound (except for the cheapie models like Winton and
Modello) and if it's in good shape it will develop a powerful tone far
surpassing a new small grand.
Baldwin player actions have a marked habit of still playing if the hoses
are still intact, unlike others that won't play a note until you rebuild
the whole thing. Rebuilding them takes some special procedures, but if
right they will repeat as well as any other action made, and the valves
can be taken out without removing the player action!
Great piano, Great action... Baldwin
Andy Taylor
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