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MMD > Archives > August 2011 > 2011.08.19 > 06Prev  Next


Ampico B Won't Play Softest Notes
By Eugene Welage

I would appreciate having someone help me solve a problem with my
Chickering Ampico B reproducing piano, circa 1937.  The player
mechanism recently stopped playing the notes in the lowest intensities,
and attempting to adjust the two valves located at the bottom of the
stack will not respond to attempting to raising the pressure from
a zero reading to 5" pressure, and will not respond to any of the
tapered plunger settings.

I would like to add that the adjuster tubing in this piano does not
match the illustration on page 12, figure 5 in the 1929 manual that
I have, in that there is a total of two tubes each on the top and side
on the First Intensity Adjuster in this piano.  This does not imply
that I am suggesting that this is the problem; it may be just a
possibility.  I await your response, thank you.

Gene Welage
ewelage@roadrunner.com.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]

 [ The added hoses that connect to the First Intensity Adjuster Block
 [ are part of the Subdue feature found in some late production Ampico
 [ B pianos.  See the article "Loud Pedal Compensation & Subdue" at
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Gallery/Tech/Ampico/index.html  -- Robbie


(Message sent Thu 18 Aug 2011, 22:33:00 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  Ampico, B, Notes, Play, Softest, Won't

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