by Peter » Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:42 pm
My first encounter was way back in 1960 when at the grand old age of fifteen I had my first Saturday job working for a local television firm as a gofer.. I was delivering a new television to a customer and on approaching the front door heard a Tchaikovsky piano piece being played.. On entering his living room I spied a very smart upright piano, and of course thought that he had been playing by hand. After much joking he admitted that it was in fact a Pianola.. A Pianola? what is this... I had never come across one before. I was even allowed to have a go... Great stuff.. I want one! Well to my suprise I could have this one free and gratis.. that is if I could get it out of the house without doing any damage. The customer informed me that it had come into his rather small living room via the window, and as he had new windows fitted, it would not be going out the same way! He was pretty sure that it would have to be smashed up and that his offer would be rejected.. It was not the largest of Pianolas,.. one of those pretty Aeolians with the fold down flap on the fall... you know the one.
Not to be beaten I returned the following day armed with screwdrivers and cardboard boxes and set about puzzling he best way forward.. Out came the player action, fortunately not breaking anything, followed by the piano action.. All the gubbins underneath was unscrewed and put into boxes.. It was at this stage that all could be lost as even on its end it would not go through the door. Could the keybed be removed, I pondered, so out with all the keys and into boxes with them, then tea and a further head-scratching.. Ah ha... five giant woodscrews each end of the keybed.. out they came and the keybed was just saved from dropping to the floor..
It all ended well as the Pianola, even after its ordeal, played splendidly, apart from dodgy tracking. After a couple of years I decided to bite the bullet and to do a full rebuild.. No, I'd never had any training in these matters but did have an enquiring mind that would not admit defeat... Well that's where it all started and fifty two years further on, after many other player rebuilds, the interest is still going strong.