I am not a restorer or an expert by any means, but with player pianos
the best bet is to "bite the bullet" and have the whole action stack
rebuilt.  At this point you cannot harm the instrument by patching the
corners of the wind motor, but there is a point where no amount of Band
Aids will compensate for worn-out fabric and rotten leather in the wind
motor or in the system as a whole.

Player pianos are like cars.  They require regular servicing to play at
their optimum, and leather and fabric do give up the ghost, thus the
need for good rebuilding.  If the rebuild is done right and the piano
is in good condition and regulation, etc., there will be a day and
night difference in the performance of the instrument.

I have been told that the rule of thumb on a rebuild is about 30 years.
If this is a piano that you really like and you want to keep, it is
worth the investment to get it done right.  If you do, you will never
have to apologize for its performance.

I have had players for over thirty years.  I never cease to be amazed
by what people "think" plays well -- pianos that have not been tuned
in 35 years, dead bass stings, hammers worn to the wood, pneumatic
components patched with duct tape and electric suction boxes that have
to be set so high that it is significantly noticeable when the piano is
attempting to play -- and yet some of these people think that their
pianos are playing well.  I am not sure if it is ignorance or having a
tin ear but with being part time in the antique business, I learned a
long time ago that there are people who did or do not deserve to own
nice things.

Again, it is amazing how good a properly restored instrument can
perform and it will amaze people who have never seen one.  There are
way too many 88-note, Ampico and Duo-Art pianos out there that are
supposedly restored that play nowhere near to their ability.

As to rebuilders, there are very competent good rebuilders and there
are real hacks who know how to charge but they skip things that will
be problems.  The last group actually does more damage than good to the
instrument and their work can be a nightmare to undo.  Do your homework:
check the technicians' reputations and ask to hear instruments that
they have redone.  A Stroud is an instrument that should turn out very
nicely if properly done.

A good restoration job is expensive -- there is no way around it --
but many of these instruments are 80-plus years old.  They have now
survived about three generations and in many cases in far less than
ideal conditions.

I still firmly believe that a really good restoration on an Ampico,
Duo-Art or Welte will produce an instrument far superior in terms of
performance to almost any or all electronic system out there.  The
pneumatic instruments can be rebuilt but after about 20 years, parts
and restoration are a problem on the electronic systems as well as
media in some cases.  As for the new instruments coming from Asia,
you get what you pay for and while they may look nice and they are
cheap, they will never last or take the kind of abuse that our
pneumatic instruments have survived.

An opinion for what it is worth.

Randy Hammond