John Phillips wrote:

    "I'm wondering if he would expand a little on why he doesn't like
    them?  I presume they were made for those rural areas in the 1920s
    that had not yet been connected to the electricity grid.  My
    feeling is that if one follows the "pumping line" that is on some,
    if not all, Duo-Art rolls, it should be possible to obtain a
    reasonable rendition of the music."

I have been reading the mail on this thread for some time and I just
could not contain myself any longer.  I may catch heat for this, but so
be it.

The original poster of this thread clearly could see no use for a 1/2
Duo-Art action.  I fear that is a common opinion among the many who now
own a full Duo-Art, Ampico, or Welte grand piano.  I think this is
especially true for those who have never owned a foot-pumped player.

The idea of having a piano sit there under its own power and try to
play like a human (and a famous one too), while we sip our drink, is
certainly a noble way of being entertained.  If the piano owner has any
desire to "get into" the music itself (and not just sit back and
appreciate a fine piece of furniture that can entertain him/her), it
becomes clear that participating in the musical rendition is not a
chore but a privilege.

It is true if one managed to own an electrified (ex-foot-pumped) half
Duo-Art Pianola, it might be a waste of good pneumatic cloth.  But as
these were not normally produced, that is not the case.  To be able to
play with the artist who arranged, and possibly recorded, the roll
produces a feeling I can not describe.  It is true that you do become
one-half of the expression mechanism.  The half of the Duo-Art coding
that _is_ hooked up provides a nice touch of the master.  If you have
any feeling for the music that is being produced and you own a fairly
well-regulated piano, you can provide the additional expression in
terms of intensity quite easily, especially if you have ever heard the
piece performed.

In short, being an owner of Stroud Duo-Art Pianola, I appreciate the
fact that I will have entertainment when the power fails (and it does
out here), and that I can participate in the music with some of the
greatest pianists/arrangers as well as play standard 88-note rolls with
a lot more expression than any "automatic" expression piano, bar none.
Those are my reasons for feeling these pianos are not superfluous.

Happy restoration of a superior piano, John.  Play it in good health.

Aerobically speaking,
David Haibach
Tennessee Outback, USA