Super Senior: Bruce Stevens

WELLS RIVER, Vt. (WCAX) - Above the village of Wells River, there’s an ordinary garage with an extraordinary business.

Bruce Stevens company, 1001 Keys, repairs organs and pianos but specializes in player pianos.

“For the most part, it’s done here. We figure it out,” Stevens said. “We do it until it’s right.”

He gets help from long-time employee Matt Sargent and high school student Alex Fellows. The 72-year-old is one of the few full-time player piano technicians in New England. Their pride and joy is a high-end electric player piano built in 1917 that’s originally from New York City. “It didn’t work at all, it was totally unfinished,” Stevens said.

The player piano was all the rage in the early 20th Century and was used to entertain guests. “Just put the roll on, plug it in, and go eat,” Stevens said.

Repairs are done the old-fashioned way using a garage full of piano parts and tools. “We’re good New Englanders, we don’t throw anything away,” Stevens said.

The business literally started by accident when Stevens, a young organist of 15, bought an upright piano. On the way home, his dad didn’t tie the piano into the bed of the truck. When they hit a bump, the piano fell out. “I put things together as best I could,” Stevens recalled. And the rest is history.

Reporter Joe Carroll: It’s a pretty unique career you started here.

Bruce Stevens: It’s really arcane. Nobody does this. Nobody is crazy enough to do it!

Joe Carroll: But you’re busy, two years of work.

Bruce: Oh yeah.

The player piano allows music to be made with no talent needed. But to fix them requires years of experience. “If you like what you do, it’s fun,” Stevens said.

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