I have adored and restored player pianos since I was a teenager. This particular player piano built in 1923 is a very special type called an Ampico. In addition to the what an ordinary player piano can do, the Ampico adds dynamics (loudness and softness) to the playing of the keys. The result is much more “human” sounding playing. There is a video example at the bottom of the page. You can watch the piano play Lee Sim’s “Meditation.” The photographs were taken during my restoration of the Ampico mechanism in 2003.

Recovering the small bellows (pneumatics) that play each individual key. Cloth with the outside coated in rubber is uitlized.

Once recovered, the pneumatics are re-glued to the stack.

85 pneumatics are utlized for just playing the keys. All must be recovered.

Close-up of the re-gluing of the pneumatics. Notice each pneumatic has it's own valve.

Two completed tiers of re-covered and re-glued pneumatics

The restored spool box and tubing in the foreground, partially restored pneumatic stack in the background.

Close-up of the spool box, wind motor, transmission, and tubing.

Re-attaching push rods to the restored pneumatics.

Re-gluing two pneumatic tiers together.

Restored and re-installed AMPICO player action (upper right).

Restored and re-installed AMPICO player action (upper left).

Electric motor and vacuum pump, treble expression unit and crescendo unit. (lower right).

Vacuum pump, bass expression unit, crescendo unit, soft and sustain pedal pneumatics (lower left).

Finished piano (bottom board removed). All ivories are original and in pristine condition.

Ampico fully restored, and ready to play.

Click to play Meditation "a piano novelty" composed and played by Lee Sims