Vickie et al,  I too see a lot of phony things on eBay.  The very worst
of these is these "O" roll buildup orchestrions, nothing but cheap
plastic "toys" stuffed into a tired old upright piano.  These things are
often offered as "roaring twenty's nickelodeon" or "antique coin piano".

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a buildup, provided that it
is presented and sold as for what it is, and not sold for a rare and
valuable antique.  If the buildup is made from an old 88-note player,
and the builder is good, it's really a treat to watch and hear.
Two of the very best buildups I ever heard was built by Craig Brougher:
"Sophie" and a Smith and Barnes upright.

The worst "O" roll machine I've ever worked on was a ex-upright
with a plastic player action that ended up in Larry Broadmoore's shop.
(I was working for him at the time.)  Not only was this machine
incapable of ever working right due to it's design, it was installed in
such a way that to service the piano it was a nightmare removing the
player stack due to a nightmare of tubing stuffed between the key breaks.
The tubing would often jam the keys, or the piano action.  The piano
itself was an excellent quality old upright (Adam Schaff), but as in all
cases with this type of buildup, the piano needed major work -- enough
to send a piano tuner screaming in the other direction!

The only thing that is true about these "roaring twenty's nickelodeons"
is the roaring of the suction box!

Andy Taylor - Tempola Music Rolls