About a year ago I established a web site dealing with the restoration
of a concert grand Mason & Hamlin Ampico A. The purpose of the site
is to educate those interested in the problems of replacing a missing
mechanism. In this case, the missing mechanism was the rare factory
demonstration Ampico with special features. Some of those features
are explained in the web site. To my knowledge, only one intact
demonstration instrument has ever been found by modern collectors.
In the mid 1970's I restored that intact instrument. I made drawings
and took photos of its unique features. Using that information,
I fashioned the missing pieces for this current project. The web site
discusses some of those features.
While the web site was devoted to the current project, it used sound
recordings from the 1970's restoration as examples of a Demonstration
Ampico performance. Now, the Mason & Hamlin can speak for itself.
Those original posted recordings have been replaced with current
recordings of the Mason & Hamlin concert grand.
The entire web site can be visited at:
http://ampico.home.mchsi.com/ampico/Welcome.html
The newly added Mason & Hamlin recordings are in the "Discussion"
area of that site, or may be reached directly at
http://glorat.home.mchsi.com/Ampico_Demonstrations/Welcome.html
Some compromise was necessary to get the sound files to fit in the
host allotted space, but the recordings sound pretty good if decent
loudspeakers are used. Use Quicktime to listen.
Bob Taylor
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