Easiest roll-player rebuild for first timers: Dynavoice 'Obensetzer'

I just got Art Reblitz's Player Piano Book and, as I suspected,
rebuilding even the simplest player piano system would be a _major_
undertaking, to say the least.  My suggestion for first timers, who
need more immediate gratification, is the Dynavoice keytop player.

Anyone who has a moderate mechanical aptitude can probably handle the
relatively minor challenges of the Dynavoice, whereas the skill and
perseverance needed to handle a regular player rebuild is of an
entirely different magnitude.  Not to mention the space needed for such
a project, special tools and materials, etc. etc.

One of the big pluses of the Dynavoice is that if you can find one that
works at all it can be in use even while you are rebuilding it.  It
just gets better and better as time goes on.  The main thing that needs
rebuilding are the individual vacuum chambers/bellows/striker units or
pneumatic solenoids if you like.

The beauty of this system is that unlike a regular player piano, they
are all indeed individual, so you can just remove a half-dozen at a
time and, while you are working on them, the rest of the system is
still operational.  Even better, if you can lay your hands on a junker
for the extra chambers, you can rebuild those chambers and install them
as you repair them, keeping the original machines notes up to full
compliment.

The only part in the whole system that gave me any trouble was trying
to have the original pouches duplicated.  That problem has been solved
twice.  Either you can replace any torn pouchs using original parts
from a junker (I had only 3 torn out of 80) or, if necessary, I have
figured out a replacement pouch made from readily available materials
that costs about $0.50 and performs as good or better than the original
item.

You can easily rebuild about a half dozen chambers in a couple of hours
each evening, using regular tools, at your dinning table, until the
whole machine is completely rebuilt, and in the meantime you can be
playing your rolls and enjoying your piano.  Let's hear it for
immediate gratification!

Tom Lear
San Francisco CA