Personally I do not think enough can be written on how they make piano
rolls.  I enjoyed the comments by Dean Randall and Robbie Rhodes on
Play-Rite.  I never had the chance to visit the place.

I was a traveling salesman in the mid 1970's for Electro Music of
Pasadena, CA.  I traveled a lot in Texas.  Wayne Stahnke was in the
Houston area at one time but I missed meeting him.  I was always buying
Ampico rolls at the time and had some played by a Bill Flynt of new
tunes that I had enjoyed.

In the Dallas area there are several wholesalers of used grand
pianos and many shops to rebuild them.  It was at one of these shops
that I learned Bill Flynt was in the area of town that I was working.
I met Bill Flynt one night and went to his home.  He was recording
a pianist onto the reel to reel tape and then perforating a roll.
(This was discussed in an AMICA bulletin in the mid 1970's.)

Bill may have been the first to record a pianist in this manner.   That
is how James Kelsey ended up onto a Play-Rite roll.  Bill had his own
perforating machine at home and an original Duo-Art perforator which he
has since sold.

I think Bill, who was an engineer, had a great deal to do with the
Play-Rite perforating machines.  John Malone had him go to California
several times to work on the perforator's electronics.  Bill came up
with the circuit that automatically added the codes to the perforator
that makes chain perforations.

Bill was also converting Duo-Art rolls into Ampico coding.  He was
quite active in the mid 1970's.  I think he is still in the Dallas area
but do not know what he is doing.

The mid 1970's was probably the best time for collectors as there was
a lot of activity.  Unfortunately it was also one of the times when
automatic pianos brought the most money.

Don Teach