THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 14, 1994 TAG: 9412130079
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Close-Up
SOURCE: Jody R. Snider
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Don't ask Trey Gwaltney to ``play it again.'' He just may.
In the last eight years, Gwaltney has restored seven player pianos to prime condition.
His first, a 1914 model, was found in a friend's basement while he was attending Elon College years ago. He bought it for $200 and recently resold it for $3,000.
``But,'' he said, ``that's with a lot of work, new parts and refinishing and installing stained glass doors on the piano,'' he said.
Gwaltney, 27, said he learned how to restore old players by reading a book, written in 1914, that told about how they work and how to care for them.
``There's one main principle that works them all,'' he said. ``The piano reads the roll of paper by pulling it through with suction and pressure. Once you know that, you can understand how they work,'' he said.
Gwaltney said the rolls of music paper used to be cut by hand, but now most of the work is done by computers.
``It used to be that the master roll was made by an artist sitting and playing a song on the piano while the blank roll of paper was going through and being marked.
``Then, the marked roll would be punched for permanent markings,'' he explained.
Today, computers do the job at a quicker pace.
Gwaltney said the vast majority of rolls are still single songs that last two to three minutes. Once a song has played, it can be rewound and played again or another roll put on the piano.
``It's really neat doing it,'' he said. ``I took piano lessons for 10 years, but a lot of the songs I know, I learned by watching the rolls and the keys play.
``It's been a lot of fun,'' he said.
Name: Trey Gwaltney.
What brought you to Isle of Wight? I grew up here.
Hometown: Smithfield.
Birthdate: Jan. 6, 1967.
Occupation: Currently, restoring player pianos.
Marital status: Single.
Favorite movies: Any Monty Python movie and old musicals.
Favorite magazine: ``Bon Appetit.''
A book you wish everyone would read, why? ``Smithfield: A Pictorial History.''
Favorite night out on the town: A good dinner, good show and good friends.
Favorite bar or restaurant: Village Cafe in Burlington, N.C.
Favorite food and drink: A two-inch steak, homemade french fries and Coke.
Few people know . . . that I have a 1924 model T waiting to be restored.
What's the best thing about yourself? My personality.
Worst habit: Punctuality.
First thing in the morning: Think of all the things I need to do - then, roll over for another 15 minutes of sleep.
Hobbies: Pianos and antiques.
Ideal vacation: Traveling by car with no schedule.
Pet peeve: People not doing what they say they will.
First job: Running the snack bar at the Tennis and Pool Club.
Worst job: Keeping 400 college girls happy every day along with my boss. See me for details.
What achievements are you most proud of? Collecting more stuff than anyone my age should rightly have and having a house to put it in.
What would you like on your epitaph? ``He was a good friend.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
by CNB