The three cylinders not in the playing position are prevented from revolving by a simple locking detent mounted on the left-hand magazine wheel. The magazine wheel in turn is prevented from being moved except when the cylinder in the playing position is between tunes. A weak link in this design is the simple grub-screw by which the driver on each cylinder arbor is fixed in place, which is not positive enough to prevent the cylinder from sometimes failing to revolve with the driver. The interlocking system can then fail to prevent the magazine being rotated when teeth and pins are in contact.

The mandoline expression extends over slightly more than half of the comb, and has groups of up to five teeth.

This appears to be a fairly early example of the rare revolver mechanism, whose invention is traditionally attributed to Amédée Paillard in 1870. Of the few that have appeared on the market in recent years it is the first to carry the Paillard name. Later examples have larger magazine wheels, with flush-fitting bearing caps to each cylinder.