Headline:  "Married to a 'Crazy' pianist-rebuilder !"

Well, I think that my husband, Andy, has finally lost his mind (what he
had left).  For the last three days he has been working on what started
out as a hopeless pile of player pianos (Foster pianos, what else?!).
He said that he had an idea having to do with the record strip.  I never
thought that he would do anything like this.

I went to see how things were going with the piano and found him cutting
the $650.00 record strip into three pieces with a hacksaw.  You could
have heard a pin drop when he saw me standing over his shoulder!

I thought that he had ruined the strip.  But, to my surprise, all he did
was take some small wire and re-attach the severed circuits back so to
fit the scale of the piano.  He looked at me and grinned and said, "Do
you think I voided my warranty at QRS?"  You should have seen the look
on my face when he tested the record strip -- it still worked as if he
had never touched it!

Then he mounted the three pieces behind the piano action, explaining to
me that now it would work with the pneumatic player action, as well as
when played by hand.  I helped him test it today, and indeed it works
well.  It seems to make the strip more responsive (the way it is mounted,
I mean).  The notes are more even and not so erratic like it was when it
was mounted under the keys.

The unlikely looking pile of pianos is slowly becoming a beautiful Mission
Oak, Ranch-style-case piano.  Now, picture this: an old player piano with
a pneumatic action (complete with foot pumps), a complete QRS Pianomation
system (in there somewhere), and the record strip on the piano action.
Now he is talking about putting a 65/88n spool box in it.

I believe this thing will do everything but the dishes!  The next thing
you know he will be putting in drums, cymbals, etc., if he can make
the room inside.  Trouble is, you can barely slip a feeler gauge
anywhere in the bottom of the piano.  We moved it today and it seems
to weigh a *ton*.

We can't think of a name for this machine.  Anyone have any ideas???
It is a Foster & Wendell / QRS / Standard / Baldwin / foot-pumped /
MIDI / Pianomation / Roll-Recording / arranging / thing-a-ma-bob.
(Try finding a fallboard decal of that!!)

Me and my "crazy" husband turned Rochester NY upside-down looking for
oval-door Foster & Co. pianos.  I'll be glad when he finds one; maybe he
will shut up about it then!  (Just joking!)

I would like to let Joyce Brite know that I agree with what she said
about our contributions to MMD.  So, Jody and Robbie: be looking for ours!
And keep up the great work -- Andy and I really enjoy reading MMD.

Now, Andy is talking about finding a roll perforator -- "Oh, no!" ...
Here we go again!!! :-)

Best regards

Christiene Taylor
Matthews, Missouri

 [ Thanks for the wife's viewpoint, Chris, and I can tell that
 [ you are justifiably proud of Andy's Handiwork. ... Maybe the
 [ roll perforator can wash the dishes, too!  -- Robbie