This is a nontechnical article written on the basis of interviews with several musical instrument makers in Great Britain. All have done conservation and restoration work for a number of British and European museums. They relate their experiences with the staff members of these museums and elaborate upon the attitudes which they both encounter and harbor about the various problems relating to the treatment of older musical instruments. Many of the views expressed diverge substantially from those likely to be held by conservators in regular museum employ. -- AATA