In response to Bill Olmsted's question as to whether electrification
affects player piano value, I would say it does.  When I bought my
foot-pumped player, I was able to pay much less simply because it was
not electrified.  Having a player that can either be pumped or played
electrically increases its value.

An analogy can be made concerning the decision to MIDIfy a band organ.
There are pros and cons.  In most cases the organ can be played either
by rolls or by the MIDI system.  In this way the rolls are preserved,
and the listener cannot tell whether the organ is being operated by
roll or by MIDI.

With the player piano, there are times when you might want to play the
rolls using the foot pumps, perhaps when you have a party gathered
around the piano.  But if you are like me, and you want to play many
rolls at a time and still accomplish some housework, you will welcome
an electric motor.

One drawback of playing the piano electrically is that you cannot
achieve a quick accent of notes, as you can by pedaling the pumps hard.
But you can still sit at the piano and work the buttons to vary the
volume.  Finally, if you electrify a player piano, make sure that the
technician allows for using the foot pedals so that you can play the
piano either way.

George Karpel
Burnaby, B.C.
Canada