[ Editor's note:
 [
 [ Chris Taylor wrote asking why Andy's article in last nights Digest
 [ was cut off after the first paragraph.  We discovered the culprit:
 [ in Andy's letter the period ending the sentence was isolated as the
 [ only character in the line, right at the beginning of the line.  This
 [ causes some e-mail processing programs to ignore the remainder of
 [ the message.  Here is the complete text of Andy's letter, with
 [ our apologies for the omission.  :)
 [
 [ -- Robbie


"Rich man's hobby syndrome" does exist in the automatic music field,
but not so much as the irritating apology I hear:  "I only have a 
player piano".

My guess is that these player owners feel a little inferior compared
to the person who is lucky enough to have coin pianos and reproducers.

Many people are reluctant to have any sort of meeting because they feel
their collection "isn't enough", just because their pieces aren't rare or
expensive.  I am sure that these pieces are loved by their owners just as
much, judging from the condition these pianos are brought back to.

Plain old player pianos aren't worth as much as reproducers, that is true;
however, they can be made to produce wonderful music.  Their interaction
with the operator will never be equaled by any device.

Without the foot pumpers, the piano companies would have never made
it.  They were their "bread and butter", so to speak.  I don't think one
of these piano companies could have survived on selling reproducers alone.
The fact is, that the common player was the primary money-making device
for the piano companies.  Without them, there would be no Ampico's,
Duo-Arts or anything else.

My great-grandmother bought a player, brand new.  It took her over two
years to raise the money: quilt making, the egg money, and anything else
she could do.  I heard my grandmother mention how proud the whole family
was of the new player.  But they had to work very hard for it, unlike
the $150 or so we pay today for an unrestored player.

To a full time rebuilder, the common player is still his "bread and
butter".  They far outnumber reproducers.  Even QRS dropped their line of
reproducing rolls a few years ago.  I would hate to think what this hobby
would be like without them.

I am proud of my pieces, even if they aren't rare or expensive.  But
I also know that if it weren't for them, the piano companies would
never have survived to build the wonderful Ampicos and Duo-Arts we
enjoy today.

Andy Taylor