I am very concerned about finding qualified technicians who can work on
my pianos.  In Minneapolis, Minnesota, I have been very fortunate to
have Don Barton who has kept my Fischer Ampico, my upright Steinway
Duo-Art and my 88-note Cable Euphona in very good playing condition.
These instruments play the way that they are supposed to play and sound.
This is a tribute to Don.  In many respects, I have been one of his
fussier clients but the Fischer is a 1987 rebuild, the Steinway was
done in California, I think in the 1990s before I got it, and the Cable
is a 1972 rebuilt.

My pianos would be in sad shape if it were not for Don with his
experience and knowledge.  These instruments are like autos.  They do
require periodic maintenance and care.  The phonographs and the Regina
on the other hand, require far less maintenance and if they are
properly cared for and kept in decent conditions will probably play for
another 100 years with minimal issues.  The mechanics of my Regina just
went through a full rebuild and the technician, Ralph Schultz of Belle
Plaine, Minnesota, actually made two gears and a new spring.  It plays
as well as it did in 1898 when it was first made.

Don and Ralph are both at retirement age.  There is nobody left in the
Minneapolis area who restores these instruments in terms of a business.
Both of these men have skills and knowledge that has taken a lifetime
to build.  They know things about systems, variations, and repairs
that have only been learned through a lifetime of experience.  Each
is the only one left in their fields of expertise in this metro area.
Player pianos and especially reproducing pianos are complicated.  I do
not begin to really understand the engineering in an Ampico or Duo-Art,
let alone have the ability to rebuild one.

I share the frustrations of the other posts in this section.  The
original manufacturers are gone, the original factory trained service
techs are gone, and now the generation that had developed the
rebuilding and restoration skills as well as the supply of collectors
for instruments is diminishing as well.

I love my instruments and their music libraries.  For the most part,
I do not own rare or exotic.  I have a nice collection that I wish
I could guarantee would end up with new owners who will enjoy them
as well as keep them preserved  as much as I have all these years.
Hopefully, I will have this for several more years but the reality
of cleaning out and or liquidating excess is a definite reality.

I know that the key is to be able to keep them playing properly.
A well-restored Ampico or Duo-Art can be breathtaking in terms of
performance capabilities.  The key is having qualified service techs
who can keep them in that kind of playing condition.  This is a set
of skills that is not learned quickly and or overnight. The best in
this field learn by doing and from the experiences of others.  They
have connections that can make parts and or they know where to get
parts.

In terms of Nancy Fratti's posts, I have seen her restorations and her
music boxes are wonderful.  The original manufacturers would be proud
of the quality of work that she produces.  I really hope that if we
hold out for awhile at least, maybe we will get a new generation of
collectors and restorers who treasure these instruments as we do.

Randy Hammond
Minnesota