I Quit!

[Michiel van Loon]

Hi Andy,
I totally agree with you. I started with the +ACI-rebuilding+ACI- of two players,
but it left me with the feeling that something was missing. I also did not
think very much of the players other people did.
That is why I decided to become a piano proffessional, and went to school
again.
Now I am a piano pro but I hardly see any players, no more time for them.

+AD4-I am caught somewhere between being a player-person and a piano person. I
+AD4-know full well that the piano must be in top musical shape. sadly most
+AD4-player people dont care a whit about the piano as long as it will make a
+AD4-sort of +ACI-noise+ACI- and those people DO deserve to be ignored like they ignore
+AD4-their piano.

+AD4-Point being is after the player action is out you are left with a PIANO and
+AD4-that is why I am here. unlike regular pianos that are pampered, and still
in
+AD4-very good shape, players have often have never seen a tuning for several
+AD4-decades, beat to death and worn out, bad pinblocks, you name it, I have
seen
+AD4-it. Everyone has heard the +ACI-clangy+ACI- rock hard hammered player piano
grinding
+AD4-out some ragtime tune, sounding like it hasn't been tuned since it was new,
+AD4-and the general public thinks they are supposed to sound like that. These
+AD4-machines did not sound like that when they were new and hearing a
+AD4-performance from a Ampico that was rebuilt properly, amazes everyone within
+AD4-earshot.
+AD4-
+AD4-The days of just rebuilding a player action  and just putting it back in
the
+AD4-piano is gone. these instruments are 80 years old and player rebuilders
+AD4-such as myself have to learn proper piano repairs and rebuilding methods
+AD4-since most of the original materials have gone bad. 80+ACU- of the time the
+AD4-piano will need new strings, hammers butts,dampers and soundboard repairs
+AD4-and a pinblock sometimes.

Agreed.
Michiel van Loon
mvanloon+AEA-xs4all.nl
Meppel
Nederland