Well, this is/was interesting. I don't know who wrote the write-up
on the piano, but the errors are many. The most glaring one is that
this is definitely an Ampico A, not a B, not even a transitional A.

Some other stuff about the quality of materials available in the
1970s-1980s is pretty accurate, but the movie "The Sting" did _not_
create the demand for player pianos -- it did create a resurgence of
interest in ragtime, especially Scott Joplin's compositions. I remember
before the movie came out, I could buy ragtime records in the discount
section; afterwards they were in the "classical" record sections at
_full_ price. Bummer.

The photographs show that someone worked over this piano, likely in
that time period, using vacuum cleaner hoses, etc. However, the strings
have paint on them, likely from someone touching up the harps gilding,
so it hasn't been restrung.

Folks from back east where the climate tends to be much more humid are
surprised that we out here in California quite often have 100-year-old
pianos with original strings that are still quite serviceable. Yes, the
bass wound strings still get "frozen up" and loose their flexibility
and tonal richness (and yes, there are "fixes" I won't get into that
can bring a lot of that back).

As to the owner thinking that a fully restored piano like his is worth
$60K, maybe to the right buyer it is, but not the average buyer, and
the cost for a professional to restore his piano to that quality of
condition is likely in the $20K to $30K price range!

Sorry to be so long-winded, but the listing just begs for a response!
Hmm; now, about _my_ Ampico B...

David Dewey
Oroville, California