Robbie commented in 000111 MMDigest

>[ An antique auto is worth less if it has replica components instead
>[ of rebuilt or reconditioned components.  Some customers might prefer
>[ such a piano, but I would rather have a useful, working instrument.
>[ The piano is my tool for making music; I don't want a vintage musical
>[ instrument if it doesn't function as a fine and reliable musical tool.

What, original oil, too?  Let's be sure we aren't confusing perishable
and non-perishable components.  If non-perishable parts are replaced
needlessly, I can certainly expect the value (both monetary and less
tangible) to diminish.  My limited experience with antique auto rallies
and car collectors suggests that cars in roadworthy condition are highly
prized, even though driving is saved for rare and special occasions.

All pianos, including non-players, are machines.  They are also chock
full of perishable parts, which do require periodic replacement in
order for the machine to work properly.  This can't be confused, though,
with swapping everything out and starting over.

There is a place for pianos with "all original" materials, and that
place is a museum.  In this setting the piano is never played, and at
least in the case of the Victoria & Albert Museum in England, the
strings are slackened off to prevent any structural damage.  They have
many instruments which predate cast iron frames, so this is likely a
wise precaution.

I'd hope that at least a few player pianos and similar instruments be
preserved in non-playing "all original" condition, in an appropriate
climate-controlled environment.  If nothing else, they will always be
around to serve as a "sanity check" to be examined by future rebuilders.

Who can predict whether a variation of the Perflex fiasco will strike
again in mid-21st century?  Perhaps by then, nano-bots will "grow"
entire replacement stacks in vats of chemicals.  I can imagine some
future piano technician musing, "Oops, they didn't work as long or as
well as the old ones did...  Better have another look at an original."

Colin Hinz
Toronto, Canada