Hi and Seasons Greetings, musically and mechanically inclined lifelong
friends!  Here is an interesting set of spin-offs from attending the
great Sutter Creek (California) Organ Rally, sponsored by AMICA and
arranged principally by John Motto-Ros, the national president of
AMICA, and also by Frank Nix from Woodland Hills, Calif.

John was at the MBSI meeting at Alan Erb's house and big collection,
and I met him for the first time and subsequently bought some 'G' rolls
from him.  John invited my wife and me to his house but we didn't go
'til the Sutter Creek Rally.  Turns out his place is right around the
corner, one and a half blocks away, from the main street where the
rally was (a lot more interesting main street than the main street of
Jackson town, three miles or so away).  He said come on over, and wow,
what a nice place and collection!  His wife greeted and entertained my
wife and me until John showed up and later Frank Nix and his wife,
Shirley.

Anyway, John had said at Alan Erb's place that he belongs to both AMICA
and MBSI.  I did also, years ago, so I could advertise my pipe making
service more, and John's wife encouraged us to rejoin AMICA, which I
did.

I spent a month or two going through _all_ the AMICA bulletins that
only members can access, from the very beginning, and John has made some
really great improvements to their web site.  You all ought to check it
out.  I wish I had known John when Jim DeRoyn was still alive; they
associated musically quite a bit back then, as did I with Jim, but I
know John now.

The upshot of this is that, in the process of going through the AMICA
bulletins over the years, I came across an article with pictures of the
"Unitype" player piano action, by Pratt-Read Player-Action Co., with the
single row of half-inch-wide accordion pneumatics and super narrow pouch
valve.  _Everything_ in that player piano is above the keybed, including
the pumpers.

A Google search brought up the newly digitized Music Trade Review article
of November 17, 1928, saying the action was invented by William B.
Tunstall who patented the valve separately from the rest of the action.  See
http://www.arcade-museum.com/mtr/MTR-1928-87-20/MTR-1928-87-20-11.pdf 

Well, the only action patent I could find for pictures of the tiny
valve on its edge as a unit-valve pneumatic was of a _three_ tier stack
and also a reproducing piano patent by Tunstall.  I really would like
to see a breakdown view of that valve to make some of them.

Robert Leber
Fremont, Calif.

 [ The Pratt-Read Unitype action is found in some Bush & Lane pianos.
 [ See http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/U/unitype.html  -- Robbie