With all of us talking about pumps, let me mention motors:

** Every time you restore a reproducing piano, send the motor out
to the motor shop for a complete check up. **

There is nothing worse than a Steinway Duo-Art that has a large round
burned hole through the soundboard.  This happens!  Take no chances.

The State of Missouri requires that if you restore the piano then you
are responsible if the motor burns down the house.  If the motor shop
rebuilt the motor and the house were to burn down, then _they_ are
responsible.

We, therefore, take all our motors to the East St. Louis Company that
built many of these type of motors.  They check out everything, replace
leads to the coils, check or replace bearings, starter switches, power
cords, repack wadding.  This usually costs us about $125.  Sometimes
less, but if the bearing or starter is out expect to pay up to $400.00.
If it needs rewinding then it will be more.  They are not making any
more of these motors these days so take care of the ones that still
exist.

_Do not_ ignore this warning, please -- if you like your piano and
your house.  This will be especially important if you use a PowerRoll
system where the piano is enjoyed, from another room and the motor runs
for hours at a time.  Long periods of time with the piano being
ignored, i.e. not having to change rolls every 3-15 minutes, will allow
an overheated motor not to be noticed till it is too late.

If you can't find a motor shop that can get your motor out in less
than a month or if there is the interest, I will post the address of
this company (Century Electric) in East St. Louis.  You could ship the
motors to them and tell them you want them checked out just like the
ones they get from Piano World.  I do not want to haul your motors over
there myself, as I have done for some of you, if there is a flurry of
motor work.  I don't mind one every so often as I take them over there
myself every few months.  If you feel better having me hand deliver
the motor to them, I tack on $50 to cover two trips across the mighty
Mississippi, plus shipping is extra.

They do the motor and then tote up the bill which must be paid before
returning it to you.  As a rule they don't know how much it needs until
it is taken apart and I haven't had them give me quotes first so I do
not know if they would or could.

D. L. Bullock    Piano World    St. Louis