Unfortunately the small amount of space allotted to the posters to this
group doesn't allow for the complete explanation of each point of view,
and when the discussion becomes one of apples versus oranges it gets
even more muddled.

When you are talking about mass produced cars that are used every day,
crushed down and another car being made, that's a valid point as far as
that goes.  Now change it to a race car of 1915 and make the same
argument.

As far as our friend from the UK and steam locomotives, it's funny,
I am a steam locomotive nut too and was thinking about that too this
morning.  You did what you had to to keep it running, much like our
clubs in the U.S. had to change their engines to comply with ICC safety
rules to run on the main line or risk a heavy fine.  The alternative in
both cases is for the engine to become a static display, and they are
so beautiful when they run.  In my opinion, they are the most beautiful
machines ever made.

Let me explain my philosophy and the philosophy of many other
preservationists.

I don't believe that you can look only as far as your own lifetime
or even your children's life time.  I don't believe that it holds true
for everything that, because you paid for something, you now have the
right to do whatever you want with it.  How would you feel if someone
hollowed out the boiler of your steam engine and put a diesel engine
in it, just because it was more convenient to turn a key to start it
rather than get to the shed several hours early to get steam up for
the run?  Believe it or not, I have heard of this happening.  It wasn't
successful and now the engine is ruined.

The past and objects from the past are part of the very fabric of our
lives.  They gives us roots, a sense of place, and can make life more
beautiful and interesting.  Here in Charlotte, they recently had a
public radio show about how to find the "soul" of the city.  What was
finally brought out was that Charlotte, in it's zeal to become a "world
class city", had torn down most of the old buildings in town; that is,
whatever wasn't destroyed in the Civil War.  The city is cement and
glass, and the residential homes have none of the imagination and
flavor that other cities with their Victorian houses and tree lined
streets have.  They can't figure out why people won't go downtown.

I believe that history and time flows through our lives like a river.
We are part of it but we are also watching it go by.  Wealth (or luck,
in my case) enables us to reach into that stream and pull out something
that we and maybe our families can enjoy for the little while we are on
earth.  But when we are done with it we should return it to the stream
of time, in the condition we found it or hopefully better, for it to
continue its journey through time.

After a certain amount of time the objects that we find can be
considered to belong to all of us, even though one person pays for it.
The Rembrandt in the museum is there because people over the years cared
for it.  A museum buys it, restores it, provides a safe place for it
and guards it against people who would steal it and make a buck on it,
but it is there for all of us to enjoy.  Because an object like a
reproducing piano hasn't reached museum status yet, that doesn't give
you the right to do with it what you want.  That's how things are lost.

History is full of examples of things and places lost because of the
almighty dollar giving a person the right to do what they want.

In most cases there isn't a lot we can do about it.  The National Trust
for Historic Preservation (of which I am a member) was founded to try
to protect those objects and places that we hold dear because there are
people who would destroy them for their own purposes, usually to make a
buck or in most cases, more bucks.  The Railway Historical Society and
other historical societies are formed for the same reason.  In a lot of
cases their chief weapon is education, Much like MBSI and AMICA.

There are many people who do "belly up to the bar" and have reproducing
pianos restored.  I have three customers waiting.  Because they haven't
done it in this case, because of poor advertising or selling
techniques, doesn't give the right to gut any piano, regardless of the
name on the fallboard, especially when there are viable alternatives,
such as homeless parts or electronic devices.

Tony Marsico

PS:  I thought after writing this that saying someone "didn't have the
right" to do something was a little too harsh a statement.  Of course
you have the right to do what you want with what your hard earned
dollar bought.  I would just hope that the things I've said made sense
and that you would choose to think twice before gutting a piano.

I just would say that this doesn't go on in my shop for the reasons
I stated.

Tony Marsico