Sixty four years ago, I recovered the pneumatics on my first player
piano.  I bought my first player piano, for the sum of $20.00 when
I was just ten years old!  It was barely in playing condition and,
within a year, the pneumatics leaked so much that it ceased to
function.  I was heart-broken.

What could I do?  The time was just after the World War Two.  There
was no money to hire someone to repair my wonderful player.  My only
choice was try to recover the pneumatics myself.  Fortunately for me,
the player action was a Simplex; each pneumatic was held in place with
two screws and they were easy to remove.  My parents were very skeptical
that I would try to undertake such an endeavor and they never expected
the piano would play again, but where there is a will, there is a way.

I talked to an elderly man who owned a music store and sold pianos most
of his life.  He helped me locate a yard and a half of pneumatic cloth.
I carefully measured and cut out pieces, and I recovered all of the
pneumatics and astonished my parents when the player became usable once
more.

Hearing of my experience, I was asked to assist others in restoring
their players, and by the age of fifteen I became familiar with
reproducing player pianos and set out to have one of my own.  Since my
first player piano was now in excellent working condition, I was able
to sell it at a price that amazed my parents.  I now had enough money
to upgrade to a reproducing piano.

My first reproducing piano, was a J.& C. Fischer Ampico baby grand.
It was in fair condition, but again, the pneumatics were not the
best and soon began to acquire holes and leaks.  Wanting it to play
properly, my only choice was to tackle the job of removing the stack
and recovering the pneumatics.  Picture a 15-year-old and his mother
under a piano, with Mother holding up one end of the action stack and
lowering it out of the piano!

With the guidance from a retired Ampico serviceman, it was a successful
project.  Along the way, I discovered other pneumatics and hoses within
the expression system that were leaking and slowly restored each one,
until the system was functioning to factory specifications.  I learned
that many tiny leaks can add up to one enormous leak, and set about to
test each and every part and take care of them.

From there, I was asked to assist a long-time elderly player technician,
learning more along the way.  As I progressed, I started a part time
business of restoring players.  I was not very good at tuning, but did
the best that I could to improve sour notes, and slowly I became more
proficient.

Interestingly, I encountered a fine musician, named John LaMontaine.
He asked me if I would consider tuning his piano.  I was very reluctant,
but he reassured me that he doubted that I could make his piano worse
than it was.  After I had tuned it he was astounded at my tuning,
and told me I had a great gift and should continue tuning pianos as
a profession.  This was the beginning of my lifetime of piano work.

The point of my story is this: we all must start somewhere, and not
give up.  Through our errors we learn.  Seek others who are experienced
and willing to help and guide you.

Bruce Clark