Hi All,  I've always considered player piano rebuilders to be a unique
group of individuals.  Although it is by no means indicative of the
facts, it's interesting to note that a quick search at Google for
"Nuclear Physicist" returns 283,000 hits, while a search for "Player
Piano Rebuilder" returns only 112.  And while there are indeed far more
than 112 player piano rebuilders in the world, I strongly believe there
are many more nuclear physicists.

The interesting thing about player piano rebuilders in this day and age
is the spectrum of knowledge they must possess to effectively do their
job.  As it was pointed out by Bill Maguire, most player technicians
could, with relative ease, go into other fields such as "furniture
repair, finish restoration, refinishing, woodworking, metal polishing,
rust removal, (and) many (other) types of repairs".  Personally
speaking, and hoping that it doesn't sound too conceited, I believe
that most player technicians have such a wide range of skills and
experience that they can just about write their own ticket when it
comes to selecting an occupation.

The point is, I don't think anyone has to worry about the fate of
player piano rebuilders.  As the economy changes, and as their services
are more or less required, they will adapt and continue to prosper.

Truth be known, I don't know one single player piano rebuilder who
started out as a player technician.  They all chose this field after
proving they had skills in other areas.  In many cases they brought
various skills from a variety of other areas together into the single
occupation known as "Player Piano Rebuilder".

In closing, there's an old saying that goes, "Don't put all your eggs
in one basket."  From my perspective, player technicians have a number
of baskets and plenty of eggs! ;-)  Regardless of the state of the
economy, they'll be just fine...  Thank you very much...

Musically,

John A Tuttle
Player-Care.com
Brick, New Jersey, USA