Dear Mr. Tallent,

I am a Registered Technician with the Piano Technicians Guild and have
been working with players for many years.  Player pianos are a major
dilemma for many piano technicians for many reasons, the primary of
which is that most old players are a disaster.  They are old, worn out,
and tuning is the least of their needs.

Most player pianos are a mystery to piano technicians.  They don't
understand the nor they want to understand how they work.  Piano
Technicians are in the business of making a living and there are
thousands of pianos out there that are much more desirable to work on
than old pumper players.  This does not, however, necessarily mean that
they don't have an appreciation for them. It's just that the economics
are against them.

I don't believe that piano technicians necessarily think less of a
player piano client because they are musically illiterate.  On the
contrary players can be exceptionally profitable.  The number of
digital players in the U.S. is increasing at a dizzying pace.  While
receiving technical training at Yamaha a couple years ago a factory rep
informed me that about 10% of their total sales were Disklavier player
pianos.  I am also a factory authorized installer for PianoDisc systems
and I can tell you that sales are so hot that the factory can't keep up
with orders.  QRS is also cranking out their digital systems at an
amazing rate.

My point is that player pianos are a very profitable business right now
and few piano technicians mind working on them.  Old pneumatic players
on the other hand typically have so many problems that they are simply
not worth the trouble for a profit oriented technician, (and what
technician isn't profit oriented)?

Now don't miss understand, I have nothing against pneumatic players.
I got into this business because of them.  The first piano I ever
worked on was a 1927 Kimball player, (which I still have).  There are
some very fine restored old players out there that are in great shape
and a joy to hear and play.

The problem is that they are in the minority and very discouraging for
a piano tech.  There is also a liability in that a tech can complete a
tuning on one only to discover that the player doesn't work after it is
reassembled.  It then requires costly time to diagnose and fix the
problem, a task that many have limited experience in doing.

The situation is not hopeless.  There are a few techs out there that
don't mind the work. The challenge is finding one.  Finding a _good_
tech is always a challenge.  In any given community you can easily find
someone who knows how to do more damage than good and couldn't tune
their way out of a bucket.

The most reliable way to locate a competent technician in (in the U.S.),
is to find a tech who is a registered member of the Piano Technicians
Guild (PTG).  Most registered techs advertise themselves as being so
because it represents credibility and is good for business.  A list
of Registered Piano Technicians [RPTs] can be found in the "List of
Registered Technicians" at  http://www.ptg.org/frameset.htm

The purpose of the Piano Technicians Guild is to establish a technical
and ethical standard in the industry and to encourage continuing
education.  There are numerous chapters through out the country.  Both
regional and a national conventions are held each year to provide
technical education classes and examinations.  I attend the national
convention nearly every year.

A Registered Technician is one who has completed a series of
examinations to prove his or her competence in the technical field.
There are also Associate Members.  An associate is a member of the
guild but has not yet past all of the examinations.  Once you have
contacted a Registered Technician, ask if they mind working on old
players.  If not, ask if they can recommend someone.  Eventually you
should be able to find someone who is right for the job.

Best of luck to you,

Rob Goodale, RPT
Las Vegas, NV