Hi All,  I am starting to see a pattern emerge!  I find that
boats, pool tables and player pianos all have one thing in common:
when you want one they cost big money, but sometimes people beg you
to take them away.

For the third time in less than six months I have been offered a player
piano.  I was standing in line at the used book store when an eighty-
year-old man saw that I had a music book in my hand.  He looked at me
and said, "Do you know anything about player pianos?"  I told him my
interest was in smaller homemade barrel organs.  He was shocked to find
someone who was even remotely involved in the hobby.

He started asking me how much the piano was worth.  I asked him when
was the last time it was rebuilt.  I have found that some people who
own player pianos fail to understand how they need to be maintained.
The other scary thing is, if I use a Kirby vacuum as an example of how
something needs to be maintained, they also own a broken Kirby.

The final kicker is the piano always seems to be in a damp basement
with no exit to the street.  There always seems to be a set or sets
of stairs involved.  I am told the player works because when they hit
the keys they make noise.  When I ask if the player part works they say
no but with a little work I am sure it can be fixed.  After reading the
MMD I know just how much work a player piano can be, and, with a polite
"No" I slowly retreat!

John Conrad Kleinbauer