•Hi All, A customer from Texas used Schafer Bros. Piano Movers to move their player piano to and from my shop in Brick, NJ. The same two men handled both jobs with professionalism and ease. Evidently they work seven days a week once they're on the road, and they don't work strictly 9 to 5. I know th...

•Hi All, We're getting in a Mason and Hamlin grand today, minus the lid. Schafer Bros. dropped another piano on it while in transport. No, we didn't hire Schafer Bros. to do the move; the refinisher did. Diane De Tar

•Hello, I just purchased a George Steck Pianola, player piano, that plays absolutely beautiful, although, I'm sure it needs a mechanical tune up. I intend someday to refinish the piano casing (mahogany) which will greatly improve its cosmetic appearance. The tone and touch of the piano is just unbel...

•Could somebody tell me what, and where the Themodist is located, or at least what it looks like, in my piano? I was told it has one, I am not sure exactly what its function is, and where it is located... I do know that on some player rolls, the small holes to the left and right edges (also refereed...

•If memory serves me correctly, I also recall a 747 passenger plane with a spiral staircase, and a piano in the upstairs lounge, being played by a blind man! This was shown in what I believe is one of the "Airport" movies, back in the 70s. Ultimately, the plane crash's into the ocean, its surviving ...

•Hello all, hopefully somebody can help me out on this one. A few months back I purchased a deluxe auto unit for my 1914 George Steck Pianola. I had a piano tech install the device, but no matter what he did, could not get the auto rewind to pull far enough to engage into rewind. The problem is, tha...

•Hello everyone, speaking of mechanical music in TV and movies, I just watched an episode of Twilight Zone, entitled "A Piano in The House"... It was amazing to see how people reacted to the player piano... As if it had an enchanting power... many a times, people have let me know that they think I a...

•Hello MMD readers. I have a Geo. Steck Themodist player, with a metro-style tempo pointer that folds down. Only thing missing, is the pointer itself! All there is, is a key-hole shaped piece, that is threaded, where the pointer would be attached. Does anybody out there have a spare one that they wo...

•In response to Tom Lear's problem with the Winamp MP3 player [001017 MMDigest], I did the same thing. But instead of deleting all my files, I just went back and made Windows Media player the default player, and everything was fine! Reyah Carlson

•Regarding knick knacks on pianos: a lot people use their consoles or upright pianos as table tops for pictures, knick knacks etc. Whether it is right, wrong, good, not good, it's their piano, their right. If the piano technician is worried about damaging or misplacing objects he should inform his c...

•Hello All! I found this site through a friend, and it is great! I am a piano hobbyist (a nut, really) and I have a couple of things to contribute. For almost the past 30 years, I have written down every piano I have seen, and when possible, their serial numbers. I saw that someone was specifically ...

•In reply to the question about oak cases, I have seen two grands in quartered oak cases. One was a small 1900-era Bush & Gerts in a beautiful Victorian case. The other was a Mehlin & Sons in a very plain case. Aaron Carlson

•Hi there! I was going to respond to D. L. Bullock's article about the PTG because I have had a few bad experiences with them. I am not a tuner or technician; I learned to play piano, then I fell in love with them, learned about the history of their manufacture. (Jack Greenfield's book is _fantastic...

•In response to asking about playing band organs, I have a friend who lives in an upscale area, and he has a beautifully restored calliope. The problem is, every time he brings it out of the garage and plays it, the neighbors call the police! This is very unfortunate, because the children (and most ...

•Dear MMD, I have recently come across a batch of original A-rolls that are in rough but salvageable shape but they all need cores. Could you direct me where to go? Aaron Carlson weiserman1694@msn.com

•-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD -- I am interested in purchasing Recordo piano rolls to be played on a rebuilt 1927 Straube grand. Please contact me directly at or send catalog to: Reyah Carlson 7477 Lemur Street Ventura CA 93003 tel.: 1-805-659-4013 Thanks much! ...

•Hello MMD! I have an early Marquette Cremona A roll piano that has a myriad of leather belts driving the mechanism. My problem is that the belts are getting old and need to be replaced. Does anyone have an address for replacement belts? There appear to be two sizes, one for the motor and pump, and ...

•Good Morning MMD! I am amazed at the amount of information available on the MMD site, and the help and advice given freely when someone needs it. Now I could use some input. The small metal clips used when making new mandolin rails used to be available at the local office supply store, but the supp...

•Hello everyone! I'd like to put my two cents in about this. The generation that saw these instruments new, would be in their 90's now, if they are still alive. The next generation (which would be my parents) saw these in the 1940's, when most of them were on their last gasp. They may have remembere...

•Good Morning all! A good friend of mine who has been restoring player pianos for almost 45 years called me the other day. He had just finished this upright player, it was strung, he had tuned it several times, and he was sitting at his workbench touching up the player stack getting it ready to inst...