What kinds of piano rolls are there?
There are many kinds, but for straightforward player pianos there are two main formats.: 65-note and 88-note rolls. Both are 11.25 inches wide so measuring them will not help you to distinguish them. However, you can easily tell them apart because of the end fittings: 65-note rolls have small metal protrusions from the ends (one resembles the tip of a knitting needle, the other is similar but has small wings on it to provide the drive), while 88-note rolls have shallow recesses in each end, one having a slot and the other a conical edge. The overwhelming majority of rolls are straightforward 88-note rolls. Rolls which are narrower but have similar end-fittings to 65-note rolls are probably for player organs such as those made by Aeolian and by Wilcox & White. Then of course there are nickelodeon rolls, fair organ rolls, dance organ rolls, band organ rolls etc., but most people are unlikely to come across these! Reproducing piano rolls were mostly based on the 88-note format and have th
