Hello,

Jody sez to write an introduction, so here it is.

I've been fascinated with automatic musical instruments ever since I can
remember, although my first clear recollection of hearing an AMI in action
would be from 1980, when I saw a small orchestrion at a gift shop in
Capilano, B.C., Canada. Some years later a friend was acting as a sales
agent for a magnificently-restored ca.1927 Steinway Duo-Art, which had
quite a fine collection of rolls with it. (The asking price was, as I
recall, CAN$28,000; and if there was any practical way for me to muster
the cash and the real estate for it, I would have bought it...)

But anyways, to the present. I don't own any automatic instruments at
all, unless you count the MIDI keyboard (I don't). I've been entertaining
the notion of getting one (most likely an 88-note player piano) for a few
years, and I'm starting to get *serious* about thinking about it, as I
finally live in a place where there's a *practical* place to put such a
thing. Players are often advertised for sale in the local dailies, although
the asking price is usually upwards of CAN$2500. I can actually afford this,
although I'm unsure whether this is really a good deal or not. I am amenable
towards buying an unrestored instrument and fixing it up, even though I've
never worked on (acoustic) musical instruments before, as I'm generally
quite good with mechanical things, as well as woodworking and model building.

After reading back issues of this digest, I've also contemplated whether
it might make more sense to ease into this hobby a little more gently, by
acquiring something smaller and less ponderously heavy, such as a small
barrel organ. (As one of my exasperated friends remarked during my most
recent house move, "Colin, I've figured you out. You like to collect
heavy things!" The number of objects which I own that are too heavy for me
to pick up by myself grows...)

I sense that an instrument purchase may wait a while longer yet, because as
much as I want to have one, I don't want to rush into things. Heck, I'm
still dithering over buying Bowers' ENCYCLOPEDIA, and it costs a "mere"
US$75 and weighs a mere 6 pounds. (Is this book as much of a "standard
reference" as it seems to be? People quote it on this mailing list quite
a lot, it appears.)

OK, OK, I ramble a lot. More later.

- Colin Hinz (hinz@dvs.com)

PS: any other AMI fans in the Toronto area?