To John Grant,  The box pictured is more than likely a Paillard,
though it could be one of a number of other makers.  It's typical of
the 'coarser' sounding boxes, like the Paillard Columbia, whose comb
was so 'plunky' sounding it grated on the ears.

It might be possible to sweeten the sound a bit.  It looks like
someone did an excellent cleaning job on it so, depending on who did
it, it might not be able to be made to sound any nicer.

There is a 'clicking' sound when it plays, but I don't know if that's
in the microphone or the cylinder.  It is possible the cylinder needs
spinning of the cement to redistribute it.  Also, the sound seems to
fade off after it starts, then come back in again.  Not like a
piano-forte effect, but more like a lot of missing pins and/or tooth
tips.  That's hard to tell unless it's in front of you.

As for what it would cost to 'tweak', that would depend on the problems
it has and how long it would take to fix them, if they are fixable.  No
one could give you a guesstimate without seeing and hearing it.

As for its value right now, as-is, it's fortunate it has a pretty
case and is clean and shiny.  Some people don't know what a box can
and should sound like and will pay more for the looks than the sound.
If I had it, it would definitely be under $1000, more like $700 (again,
depending on what it actually sounded like and what the problems were).
It could be much less if it is missing a lot of pins and that's what is
making the songs sound 'unbalanced'.

Hope that helps a little,

Nancy Fratti - Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
Canastota, New York, USA
http://www.nancyfrattimusicboxes.com/