Dear MMDers:  My review of the MMD archives has demonstrated that there
has been no debate or discussion in this forum of the relative merits of
the Ampico vs.  Duo-Art systems.  I'd like this debate to commence
because there is the possibility that I will purchase one or the other in
the future.  If someone thinks Welte should be added to the discussion,
we can do that.

My (perhaps erroneous) assumption is that it is harder to find Welte
rolls and recuts, and Welte pianos are more temperamental than either of
the aforementioned systems.  I would also suggest making this an Ampico
"A" vs.  Duo-Art debate, as most folks appear to agree that the Ampico
"B" system is the best reproducer of all.

Here are some of the questions I'd like answered:

1.  For which of the 2 systems are more rolls available?

2.  Does either system have an advantage as to repairs and reliability
(assume each to be perfectly 100% restored)?

3.  Which provides the superior musical performance, and is one system
stronger in some areas, e.g. snappier sustain, better dynamic range, etc.?

4.  Does either system permit "Pianolistic" interpretation, by which I
mean, can you play 88 notes rolls as a pianolist might on a pumper?  I
once heard an apocryphal story that the "Duo" in Duo-Art meant that it
could be used both for Duo-Art reproducing rolls, and to render musically
pleasant performances of 88 notes using expression levers, etc.).

5.  Is it easier to make new rolls in either one system or the other?  Is
one system fundamentally easier than the other?

I hope to get some responses; I would be pleased to collect the info and
put in HTML format for inclusion on the MMD FAQ page.

Best regards,

Tim Baxter - neophyte
Atlanta, GA

 [ Editor's note:
 [
 [ I have heard breath-taking music emitted from several of the systems,
 [ and I'm convinced that they're all quite capable when rebuilt
 [ correctly and maintained properly.  I invite comparison of these
 [ systems and "user parameters":
 [
 [ System: Ampico A, Ampico B, Artecho, Artrio-Angelus, Duo-Art, Hupfeld
 [         Dea, Philipps Duca, Recordo, Welte-Mignon (all formats)
 [
 [ Maintainability & Reliability -
 [ Pianolist Controls - to add expression manually while playing
 [ User Adjustments - minimum intensity, crescendo rates, etc.
 [ Dynamic Range - vacuum range, inches of water-column
 [ Accent Capability - Duo-art is great, Welte is poor, etc.
 [ Crescendo Capability - is it nice and smooth?
 [ Roll Availability - originals, recuts, new performances
 [ Roll Compatibility - Ampico B rolls on an "A" piano, etc.
 [ Song Availability - Is there a big performance catalog?
 [ Roll Creation - relative difficulty of coding & editing new rolls
 [
 [ I don't feel that the Ampico B is necessarily "the best", and I own
 [ one!  Its pneumatic action is superb, but the _system_ is deficient
 [ for lack of a library coded for the "B". "A" rolls sound puny on it.
 [
 [ The foot-pumped reproducing piano is a special case, and this
 [ instrument is extremely rare in the States.  I invite our readers
 [ abroad to write about how the pumper compares with the
 [ electric-powered instrument.
 [
 [ Another special comparison is playing reproducing rolls on a plain ol'
 [ foot-pumper.  I have some Ampico and Duo-Art rolls with lousy coding,
 [ and the music sounds better when I pump them!
 [
 [ This discussion is a comparison, and so I hope we hear from folks who
 [ own, or formerly owned, pianos with different systems.
 [
 [ Robbie