Rob Goodale and Hal Davis were right on the mark in their comments.
Not only is the player mechanism in the way of making repairs to the
piano (for which reason we have many gutted players in our area), but
this whole subject area of pneumatic operation is a "whole 'nother
chapter," foreign to a technician whose sole experience is with
standard pianos.  The learning curve is long and frustrating.

Most technicians I know shy away from the responsibility of dealing
with a player piano.  And that's good for my bottom line, because
I have gotten involved with players and am fascinated by them.  I get
frequent referrals from other technicians in this area.

Nor do I look down on player piano owners, notwithstanding that I have
degrees in music.  True, it is not possible to give the subtle nuances
with a pumper that a pianist can attain with practiced finger control
on a well-regulated piano, but I get some real enjoyment out of tuning
a player and listening to it while I check over the adjustments.

One thing the others did not mention that I feel has helped me.
When called to tune a player that is in working condition, I always
ask the owner for a roll and play it before doing anything to the
piano.  I then point out the deficiencies so that I will not be blamed
for any failures when I am finished.

I cannot comment on the ability of all player owners to tell when a
piano is tuned properly, but my observation in general is that piano
owners, and even piano teachers, would be hard put to identify what
constitutes a good tuning, or what constitutes "out of tune."  Most
hear the difference and are pleased when I am finished.

Similarly, I run into player owners who do not know that their
instrument is playing poorly.  I recently tuned a grand piano for an
elderly couple and was asked to fix a broken string on their player
in the back room.  They were so proud of this electrified pumper that
a friend had restored.  When I put on a roll to play it, I absolutely
could not tell what it was playing.

I was called by a moving company to repair an Ampico grand that had
been "rebuilt" and was "playing perfectly" before the move.  There was
a pulse of vacuum with each turn of the pump, and 2-3 notes would play
quietly due to disconnected tracker tubes.  I notified the movers that
the condition was not their problem -  it was certainly there before
they got the piano -- and I named my charge for rebuilding the pump.

As it turned out, the moving company received a good bit of business
from the piano owner's company, and did not want any upset.  They opted
for the repair.  I was fortunate that the piano was at a refinisher's
shop when I removed and reinstalled the pump, for when I put it back in
the system was so leaky that the piano would only play softly and with
no expression.  That was two years ago and there has been no complaint.
That is also the last pump rebuild I will take on without doing a whole
restoration!

Bill Maxim