When I was young my grandmother kept an old player piano in her
garage.  I don't know why she bought it; they didn't play piano
and pretty much the only one that ever used it was me.  I used to
go down there and pump on the pedals and play it myself since the
player hadn't worked for many years.

While in high school, I proposed that we restore an old pump organ
that my grandfather added to the collection of derelict instruments.
For weeks I went there after school while we stripped the finish,
patched the bellows (using old Naugahyde!) and brought the instrument
to playing condition.  After that, we started on the player.  Using
only the finest materials available (toothpicks to fill the holes,
carpenter's glue to glue the pneumatics on the stack and ignoring
the valves), we brought it to a point that if you pumped hard enough,
it played, though he lost interest before we made it really nice.

Around that time, I heard about AMICA and joined the Southern
California chapter.  I bought an Aeolian (half) Duo-Art pumper and
enjoyed that for many years, then started buying more pianos to restore
for the fun of it.  I had learned about hot-glue from Art Reblitz's
book on rebuilding the player piano, and had learned about reproducing
pianos.  I was introduced to the widow of a large collector in my area
and started visiting her to play her Ampico.  The bug had hit me and
hit hard.

After college, I started working, bought an apartment and finally had
a place to put my first reproducing grand -- I turned to my friend and
bought her Ampico.  I had already been enjoying it for 10 years, now
it was time to bring it home.

Over the years I've added a few more instruments to my collection,
added music boxes and an Orchestrelle.  I restore each one in turn, but
the thrill of the first instrument that I ever got to play will be with
me forever.  I feel the same thrill each time I bring an instrument
back to life.  My first reproducing piano, after playing for me 10 years
more, was slowly losing power so I gave it a full restoration, the same
for my Duo-Art, and now I'm working on the Orchestrelle.

How can one pass on the passion of a lifetime?  By restoring the
instruments in your care with the utmost respect, and by bringing them
back to their original condition with no compromises for "the quick
fix" or by leaving anything in a condition that the next guy that
attempts to restore it won't be able to undo and bring to new as well.

Best regards,
Eliyahu Shahar