I am so bothered by players going to the dump that I have collected
over 100 of them for eventual rebuild. I would love to sell them to
anyone who wants them. I will be using Ebay soon to keep one or more
on sale constantly. I know I can replace each one I sell with two more
that find their way to me.  I turn down one or more a week. If anyone
wants a player just call me. I sell most of them for $350. And that is
less than what they cost me to purchase and move four times in the last
10 years. I don't even include rental of the space they take up. Just
call me stupid for keeping all those crappy old pianos. I guess it
is a mission in my life to save these poor relics. But also I
consider that every player that goes to the dump makes mine more
valuable...  someday.

I do see a future for players and other automatic music, because I do
have people who are willing to spend $10,000.00 or more to restore their
family player. I know most of you have come to believe that crock of a
line that no player is worth more than a couple of thousand dollars. I
know better. I stay a year or more behind in total like-new
restorations of players. Right now I have a Stone AEolian Themodist
(same stack as Duo Art), a Packard, an Autopiano, a Hamilton, and
upright Steck Duo Art, a Hobart M. Cable--all of these have people
spending whatever it takes to do like-new restoration on them. I did
not count the Reproducing grands that are also progressing in the shop.
There are five of those.

I am training two apprentices to restore. One is 26 years old and has
been here but one year. He can take an upright piano action apart and
put it back together with all new parts, springs, felts, hang new
hammers and regulate it. He has just finished fine regulation of three
sets of Duo Art valves to within 2 thousandths tolerance. He was not
originally interested in players but he needed a job and was
mechanically inclined. Unlike most folks I have hired like that in
past, he really has taken to the work. He is anxious to learn enough
to totally restore the player I will give him if he stays working for
me two years. This is something I have offered several others but he
is the first to actually last long enough to probably take advantage
of it.

I also have another assistant, 36, who does most of my reed organs. He
is also a full piano tech since his teens. He is a qualified pipe organ
tech as well. My main refinisher can do French polish finishes as well
as all the other "lost art" techniques. He is willing to teach it to
someone who will stay and work with my shop as he is not in the best
of health. No takers yet.  My newest assistant (mid 30's) is presently
doing office work which was badly needed but he is a trained tuner and
when the office work levels off, he will be in the shop finishing his
training. I expect him to also take me up on the free player offer once
he can rebuild the whole thing himself.

So, yes, there is a future in mechanical music. My shop is way too busy
and, even in this lean economy, I have been able to keep a waiting list
of instruments we cannot even do yet.  It is hard to make a living
doing this but it can be done.  The main interest here is getting the
instruments finished and playing again.  It takes way too much time but
with our techniques we can do it much faster than many folks I have
known doing the same work.  We are in it for the long haul.

D.L. Bullock    St. Louis
http://www.thepianoworld.com