Okay, let's say that I have a piano that once contained a Duo-Art and
I want to re-install a set of parts from a gutted machine.  I buy the
complete set and start to rebuild it.  Everything comes to perfection
and then I try to install it.  Voilá!  The action stack doesn't fit.
It needs to be remodeled.

I think a  good example of what happens in a case like this is when you
forget to carefully number and record which pneumatics go where and want
to install them anew.  Re-read Art Reblitz' book on restoring a player
to see what someone did when faced with that situation.  I spoke with
Bob Streicher several years ago; he had to retrofit a stack into a
piano.  He told me that it was more work than the rest of the
restoration.

There's enough spare parts around already, we don't need any more
spare parts.  (Unless anyone has the expression finger levers for a
Duo-Art, let me know -- I still need them!)  There are _far_ too many
pianos that had their mechanisms removed, we certainly do not need any
more of those!  What we do need are capable systems -- and if the piano
is lovely and sounds good I'm sure you can find another one that is
lovely and sounds good.

It's the owner's rights?  No one will argue this on a legal
perspective, but if someone were to buy a Frank Lloyd Wright building
and tear it down to put up a pre-fab home on the site I would expect an
outrage to arise from the community.  This is the same thing.  My two
cents.

Best regards,
Eliyahu Shahar