On roll repair, it has become important to differentiate between
repairing 88-note and reproducing piano rolls. Yes, almost all the
88-note rolls can be repaired with any sort of tape, or even duct
tape if you care to, and they will probably play on your pumper piano.
Even if you cover all the left-edge sustain pedal holes most may not
even notice the difference on the typical marimba arrangement.
I have even seen "professional roll restorers" add paper to the Welte
lock-and-cancel system reset cut-outs at the beginning of many of the
early rolls because paper was "missing" there.
Please add all the non-archival plastic tape to your Kortlander and
Roberts 88-note rolls, but leave the more complex reproducing rolls
alone.
Kurt Morrison
Tacoma, Washington
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