Hi All,  Ken Vinen asks the question "What can we do?" about the future
of player pianos.  He will be glad to learn that the Lauter that Philip
Jamison mentioned a few days ago will most likely be purchased by me
within the next week.  Then it will be dismantled and used to resurrect
another Lauter that has serious pin block problems..... :-)

I'm actually optimistic about the player industry.  Last year the sale
of technical materials and rebuilding supplies increased by nearly
200%.  My suppliers are quite happy...

As for the players that end up in the dumps, that's probably where they
belong.  I'd like to see the 'supply' decrease to the point where the
value of a restored player exceeds the cost of restoration.  That would
make the whole process a profitable investment.  People are quite
discouraged when they find out that you only get back $0.50 for every
dollar you spend.

And in closing -- Does anyone know a player rebuilder who doesn't have
enough work?  Do we really want to create MORE demand?  Who is going
to do the work?

"Keep the Music Rolling"
Musically Opinionated,

John A. Tuttle
Player-Care.com
Brick, NJ, USA
'Where I recommend that junk be thrown away'