Old style Farrand-Cecilian is a three-tier, double-valve type, with poppet wires to guide rail to connect at whippen of piano action. Each of the three sections of the valve chest has a front cover plate which serves as a gasket for the tracker bar tubing channel, with the middle and bottom row of valve chests having the rubber tubing going through a clear hole in the top cover plate, and the bottom chest having tubing strung through middle cover plate. The primary valve button is 1/2" diameter, 1/16" thick fibre button, located on top of the valve chest immediately behind the front cover plate. Over the primary buttons is a strip of wood molding for a dust cover. The secondary valve is immediately to the rear of the primary buttons. Both valves operate vertically and the pneumatics are on the underside of each of the three separate valve chests. Another type, with all metal construction is pictured below, and was made after the aforementioned. The metal units were attached to three hollow square pipe tails for both support and vacuum supply.

It should be noted that the Farrand "all metal" action and the early Bush & Lane Cecilian player action are one-in-the-same.

Also, it is important to note that the pouches are contained inside of metal chambers which are crimped together with little tabs. These tabs often break when an attempt is made to open the chamber, especially if the action is corroded. As with some other player actions of the time, these all-in-one units were designed to be replaced, not repaired.