Piano World Home Page Forums Other Keyboard Instruments Mechanical Musical Instruments Inherited a player piano with a few issues

Hello! I'm in the process of repairing a player piano from the 80s that was given to me by my family. I was hoping someone might be able to tell me what these small strips that hang between the hammers and the strings are. I've never seen them on a piano before, and the hammer seems to be getting stuck in these strips and forcing the keys to get stuck down.

Seen here: [img]https://imgur.com/gallery/ahkfzT7[/img]

I'm hoping this is something I can replace, or get rid of, if it's not necessary. Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you!

For anyone curious, I was just told that it is a harpsichord effect.

It's a honky-tonk rail to produce a "rinky-tink" effect when playing, similar to putting tacks on all the hammers where they contact the strings. (Some people like this sound when playing ragtime, etc.) There's usually a way to raise or lower the rail to turn the effect on and off. If you don't want it at all, just unscrew the rail at the ends where it's mounted and take it out.