Thanks to Jim Quashnock for his inspiring tale of how to make and
install your own tone rods from basic stock.  I do remember the steel
axles of my Erector Set having a really nice tone!

Jim, based on my own Lodeon and a couple others I've heard, plus
recent comments by others here on MMD, a lot of action noise is indeed
normal.  Mine seems to make more noise when the note is released than
when it's struck, but that may be just because the tone striking covers
up the noise, and since the release noise is not related to the musical
rhythm, it sticks out in your mind.  And since the Piano Lodeon rolls
always release the note shortly after the hit (no dampers), the release
noise usually occurs while no other notes are being struck.

I just "auditioned" my Lodeon again, playing both by roll and by hand,
and most of noise is from the piano action itself, not the player part.
My beat-up Jaymar toy isn't much better.  Sort of like releasing a
chord on a well-worn tracker pipe organ, but not as much fun!  Now we
know why real piano actions are so full of little felt pieces.  :-)

Something I forgot to mention earlier -- a tone rod has two notes:
the "strike" tone that you normally hear, and the "pluck" tone you
get by plucking the free end with your finger and letting the whole
rod vibrate visibly like a music box comb tooth.  Sort of like the
"nominal" and "hum" tones of a church bell.

By an amazing coincidence -- or is it a sign of good quality tone --
my Jaymar's tone rods each have a pluck tone exactly two octaves (well,
maybe three -- it's deep!) below their strike tones.  On the Lodeon's
rods the relationship is a lot harder to pin down, which _may_ be
related to their poorer strike tone quality.  I'd like to hear your
comments on this.

Mike Knudsen