> Correct restoration procedures can be done over many years and in
> various stages as long as they are done the right way.

I, for one, am not in a financial position to spend $10,000 (an often
given figure) (and more than 1/2 of what I make in a year after taxes)
for a "complete restoration". It seems that many here would
prefer to see that I not have ANY pleasure from my instrument rather than
to do anything less than a  "complete" restoration.

Ok, perhaps I'll never really know how nice a player piano can be,
how easy it can be to play, etc. Should I really be denied the
pleasure I DO receive from it by simply "keeping it going"?

When I buy a car, I buy a used car - I "keep it going" - I do not take
it to a mechanic for a "complete restoration"... it still gets me from here
to there.  There are, of course, people who buy old cars and *do* put the
time and money into completely restoring it. There are different needs and
desires by different people.

I receive a great deal of pleasure out of my "partially restored"
instrument.  Yes, it would be nice to have it working 100%, but thats
not an option for me, and I don't understand why there are those out
there who would put me down for simply "keeping it going".

John W. Miller
Saint Paul MN