I am in a good mood today.  I finally moved all instruments on the retail
floor to the new mall store and so I now have the room to move the stacks
(of pianos) around so I can get to them.  I call them stacks because they
are stacked-in like a library, and we used to call the book shelves
"stacks" -- and of course the players have stacks as well.

I spent the time to check out all my gutted player players, which I
seldom take in, buy, or acquire.   I then searched the spare part
collection of "stacks of stacks."

The results are I found that all but one of my gutted players is no
longer gutted.  I found a perfectly fitting Gulbransen stack for the burl
walnut piano.  I just have to find the bellows for it.

I found Manualo stacks for two Modellos, one Howard, and one Hamilton and
installed them into their new pianos.  I found an almost
perfectly-fitting Standard stack for the oak art-case P. A. Starck.  It,
however, will need to have brackets lowered.  All the wippens line up
with the poppets, but the stack sits about an inch too high.

I have an Aeolian Stuyvesant Themodist, missing the top stack, but I have
not dragged out all my Themodist stacks; the  first two I tried were too
long for the piano case.  However, if I can't find the right one, the
mounting board that goes through the middle on which the spoolbox sits
can be trimmed and it should fit.  Now if I only had an Amphion stack for
the Bahnsen (St. Louis) piano that has those fat art case legs I like so
much.

I am getting my inventory of Available-for-Rebuild pianos updated.  I am
filling out new complete sheets for each piano.  Some of you said you
were going to be coming to see the collection and buy a few before we
move.  Well, the time is a-wasting.  The plain cases are still $250. and
most semi-art cases are now classified as plain cases.  Art cases and
oaks are $495.

I will be putting these on the Internet when I get my web page done. I
plan to have the whole catalog of pianos on-line.  When this happens, I
suspect the Japanese will be visiting me as I have had calls from them in
the past.  I also surprised myself with how many silent pianos I have
(they've never been players).  I seem to take only the art cases in
these.  The ones for sale are also priced to sell.

Does anyone know a good refinisher who wants to relocate?  My present
refinisher has been given a list of 20 pianos that must be "done
yesterday".  Let's just say he needs competent help.

Does anyone have a good piano tuner or technician who wants to relocate?
I am inundated with work and I haven't been able to clone myself yet.

D. L. Bullock   Piano world   St. Louis

 [ A Yoke of Bullocks at your shop could move pianos easily...!  :)
 [ -- Robbie