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It is not necessary to study the piano
mechanism in order to work on the player section. You will
probably leave that for the Piano Tuner. The player mechanism
simply plays the piano that is behind it, and the Piano Tuner
needs to remove it to tune the piano. In the old days, a Tuner would sometimes lift it out and throw it away if the owner did not want it repaired. If you are a musician or especially venturesome, you might want to repair the piano yourself. Early in the century mass production was being developed on pianos, long before Henry Ford used it on cars. After 1902 when the player was included, business boomed. Millions were built and Thousands of inventors and designers made them become really fine instruments. An old Steinway piano is a magnificent piano and superior to modern instruments that do not get the same personal care that those partly handmade products received. The parts made of wood have to move precisely and easily to convey the maximum force from the key to the strings, but the construction also allows the character of the sound to change. For instance, striking and releasing the key fast gives a staccato sound, but releasing the key slowly gives a gentle legato sound. To get some idea of the complexity of the mechanism, just look at Diagram #7 on page 17 of the book (click here.) We tend to think that anything so old would be vastly improved now, but the mechanism was so perfected that there has been little improvement. There is generally very little wear on the wood parts from use. The parts that most need to be replaced are felt, paper, and cloth such as bridle straps. When you consider that vacuum is being applied continuously, its easy to see how leaks can add up as the cloth and tubing age. If you decide to work on your piano, the following kit will furnish the basic materials used in all pianos. If special parts are needed they can be found in the catalog. Making your own list from the catalog would not be easy. Beginner's Kit #1000 'Just send me something to get me
started' is a frequent call. So we compiled a list of basic
items so that restoration may begin; while in the process, a list
of secondary and more specialized items may be ordered. Itemized List All of the above items The following kit has
the basic supplies for repairing the piano: Itemized List What is the future for player pianos? Player Piano company, still headed by Durrell Armstrong, believes that it is headed for another kind of activity and interest. The player piano is no w 100 years old and may be considered to truly bye and antique! People will actually be doing restorations, and the cost is justified by a rising antique value. Even if these instruments may not be fully restored now but kept operable with the addition of an electrification kit the potential value as an antique is there because all the original parts are still there.
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