The mandolin rail in a Coinola is not a drop type mandolin rail.  There
were different kinds of mandolin rails used in different brands of coin
pianos.  The Coinola and the Cremona are similar but different.  They
also sound different than a drop curtain type.

They consisted of a series of little wooden plungers that sit between
the top of the dampers and bottom of the hammers.  Most "O" roll
machines have the mandolin rail from middle C up to the last playing
notes in the treble.  There are no mandolin functions in the bass
section which means there is no muffler like a home player.

The little plungers are mounted in a board that can shift left to
right.  When this mechanism is in the left position it is not used.
Shift to right and the hammer shanks contact the little wooden plunger
that hits the string with the hammer.  It barely misses the string if
you push the hammer by hand but when the note is struck the plunger
contacts the string very quickly with the hammer making the mandolin
effect.

Vestal Press had a set of mandolin drawings that showed the Cremona
type which is very similar to the Coinola.  The Cremona is all wood
except for a tiny spring that pulls the plunger away from the string.
Coinola has a small metal rod with what look like typical piano
regulating wood buttons on one end and a small piece of hammer shank on
the end that contacts the hammer shank with a small coil spring.

Often one will find pieces of pouch leather used to regulate these on
the end that contacts the hammer shank.  I have seen some home model
player pianos with these types of mandolin rails.  I think it was a
Cable brand.  If this sounds confusing then try first Player Piano Co.
for drawings and if all else fails I will draw a simple drawing and put
it on E-mail somehow.  I hope this helps.

Now for my soapbox speech.

We are fortunate in the states because there are several Coinola
machines around for us to look at and copy.  Our comments about taking
time to build a copy of an original stems from so many of the homemade
machines in the 1970's were just noise makers.

I agree that there is great pleasure from building something as I have
said in the past.  Many of the homemade machines had the instruments
way to loud and most didn't work well.

The bass drum should not pound so hard that it drowns out the rest of
the music.  Don't let the solo instrument ( if its bells) run you out
of the room every time it turns on.  These instruments were in the
bottom of the Coinola X covered by a bottom board and were just a
little louder than the piano.  At the time these original machines were
made they sounded pretty darn good.

I have said in the past that Coinola pianos got a really bad reputation
from writers saying they were cheaply built and that just can't be
true.  I can whip out almost any Seeburg part in half the time it takes
to make Coinola parts.  I also think that Coinola made some of the best
looking pianos of any piano maker.  Compare the Coinola C case to a
Seeburg E.

Don Teach, Shreveport Music Co
1610 E. Bert Kouns, Shreveport,  LA  71105
dat-smc@juno.com