For the past eight years, I have offered a replacement drive belt for
PianoLodeons on eBay.  This month I am finally deleting my listing to go
on to other hobby pursuits.  I am pleased to report that John Tuttle's
Player-Care.com will be a source of these belts going forward.

Since these child's player pianos are about 60 years old and mostly
made of plastic (and it has been suggested that only about 1000 were
manufactured), I was surprised to have sold a total of 120 belts, about
15 a year, since 2013.

I first came upon a beige PianoLodeon at a yard sale for $35.  Taking
a cue from a YouTube video, I also replaced the plywood back with a
sheet of clear Lexan ($25).  So now we can watch the piano's mechanism
operating.

I then won a burgundy model on eBay for $225 and, as I was going that
way anyway, I drove to upstate New York to claim my prize as well as
avoid shipping damages and charges.  I don't know whether burgundy
pianos are supposed to be the "deluxe" model, but I've found insulating
material inside a couple meant to cut down on the clatter.

I found another in burgundy, non-operating, for $75.  Inside were
split and broken parts, including three broken hammers.  Epoxy restored
everything including the hammers, which I reinforced with thin strips
of plastic.  It plays well now.

I've been able to collect about 50 rolls.  Many titles are scarce,
as they were only available by mail after purchase.  Some arrangements
struggle to convey a listenable tune using only 23 notes; some succeed
well.  A couple of my favorites are "By the Beautiful Sea" and "St.
Louis Blues" (both perhaps arranged by J. Lawrence Cook?).  Some titles
like "I Want a Girl", "I Found a New Baby" and "Beer Barrel Polka"
surely seem adult for a child's interests.

With each belt sold, I included an information and instruction sheet,
a copy of the original directions packed with the new pianos, and
a listing of roll titles once available.  One buyer and I found our
interests to be similar (old cars, model trains, music boxes, etc) and
have continued our friendship five years now.

Orders for belts came in from 25 states -- not too telling as the
pianos have surely moved around over the years.  Twenty-one orders from
California top the list, with 13 from Ohio, 11 from Pennsylvania, and
9 from Illinois.  New Jersey, home of the PianoLodeon, ordered 3.

At one time, I also offered a fix for rusty metal nameplates: a sticker
with identical black artwork and either a silver or gold-tone
background.  Just paste it over the nameplate for a brand-new look.
I thought it a clever idea, but after slow sales of the first 20,
I didn't restock.

Another idea was the production of those pink and black boxes for
storing rolls.  My new-found friend was able to flatten a box in
suitable condition and print it out on a commercial color copier.
We could ship copies flat and the buyer could glue one onto a thin
backing, cut it out, assemble and glue closed.  But I was not able to
find a print shop that could handle that size at an affordable price.

Someone has noted that while the PianoLodeon was introduced with
"patents pending", none seem to have been issued.  Is it possible that
the market for them appeared "tapped out" and there was no reason to
pursue costly patents?

Meanwhile, these little players continue to bang out their clunky tunes
to our delight.  I'd be interested in hearing from others with their
experiences with PianoLodeons at gsendall@yahoo.com.  Thanks!

Tom Sendall
Piney River, Virginia