Hi MMDers,  Regarding removal of player actions from good instruments,
now for my two pence worth...  My gut reaction is to say it should
never be done, particularly with the likes of Steinway, Chickering,
Welte, Weber, etc.  I have a Steck upright and would never consider
ripping out the player action.

Surely we should be the ones protecting these beautiful instruments,
not the instrument of their destruction?  These instruments will never
be made again in any quantity so what we have left now is all we will
ever have.  Although I do take into account the low ebb of the player
market and how often players just cannot be given away...

Current computer controlled systems will never last the length of
time that the old pneumatic actions have, and will almost certainly be
unrepairable, either due to the type of components used or to obsolete
chips.

I am an electronic engineer so I know how fast consumer electronics
becomes obsolete.  (I can no longer get a replacement processor for
my ten-year-old JVC TV!)

Andy Hood (Northeast Scotland)