On one of my many trips to Mexico City, I found a Knabe concert grand
-- all nine feet of it -- with an Ampico Mechanism still in it.  The
pumps could be driven by one of two motors installed. The motors also
had cone pulleys on them, presumably because of different current in
different areas.  When I first went to Mexico in the late '50's, they
still had 50 cycle AC current.  All is standardized at 60 cycles now.

I noticed several differences in the stack: the pneumatics were much
larger than on the regular early A stacks, the kinds where the guides
for the push rods are screwed to the keybed of the piano.  One thing is
for sure: the Ampico action was not cramped for space!

Sadly, since then, the Ampico has been removed and the instrument has
been made into a 'straight' piano.  The mechanism, however, has been
saved and if anyone is interested, I can tell you where the piano and
Ampico are.  They are nice folks, but do not have the technicians to
restore player mechanisms.

I am new to MMD, but will be posting things as they come up.  I have
been doing player work, professionally since 1965, and have read with
interest the millions of words written in journals and bulletins
through the years.  A lot of it ... just ain't so!

Ed Gaida
egaida@txdirect.net
http://www.txdirect.net/~egaida

 [ MMD subscribers have the opportunity to read _everything_, and to
 [ decide for themselves which 'is so' and which 'ain't so'!  Virtually
 [ all letters with reasonable decorum are published; I just edit for
 [ good grammar and conciseness.  Write whenever you can, Ed; it sounds
 [ like you get around !  -- Robbie