Aeolian Push-up worth the money? Help needed
G'day all Ive been keeping an eye open for a push up for some time now , as i was always interested in getting one to add to my collection.One has now showed up on Ebay Oz and though its a little pricey , i would like to see what other think of it as well. Bear in mind that Push ups in Oz do not turn up very often (like UK,USA) and this is in fact the 1st push up ive ever seen on Ebay Oz in the 6 years ive been active with the site. Below is a response i got from the seller in asking for details (excuse his spelling mistakes i didn't correct them). Daniel :) PS:I know it looks shabby , but I'm thinking ahead on what it could look like and be , once it is restored. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DANIEL,....THE UNIT IS COMPLETE WITH EVERT PART IN ITS PLACE,,,,AS FAR AS I> CAN SEE..> IT'S NEVER BEEN SERVICED....AT PRESENT,.. THE> SPOOL MOTOR AND THE PEDAL BELLOWS NEED RE- COVERING....,.ALTHOUGH THE> PHUMATICS IN THE STACK ARE GETTING A LITTLE STIFF THROUGH THE LACK OF> EXSERISE,....I' SURE THEY WOULD WORK OK AT THE MOMENT....IT HAS A> 88 NOTE TRACKER BAR, AND I BELIEVE THAT THE> INTERNAL 65 NOTE PHUMATIC STACK , IS DOUBLED> UP AT EACH END TO PLAY THE 88 NOTES...> THE TRACKER BAR HAS ONLY 88 NOTES...NOT 65 AS WELL...THE CASEWORK NEDDS> SLIGHT ATTENTION,,....AND RE- POLISHING.,..I COUKLD CERTAINLY HELP LOAD THE> UNIT AND I HAVE NO STEPS... AND A PRO TROLLEY..> IF YOU WERE TO CONNECT A VACUUM CLEANER> MOTOR TO THE BELLOWS> ,I'M SURE YOU WOULD GET SOME RESPONCE AT THE PRESENT TIME. EVEN AS IT IS....> ONE OF THE FINGERS IS BROKEN ,,, NEEDING REPAIR... REGARDS. P ___________________________________________________________ http://cgi.ebay.com.au/PIANOLA-PUSH-UP-MUSIC-ROLL-PLAYING-UNIT_W0QQitemZ300253966709QQihZ020QQcategoryZ16220QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Hi Daniel, I think it's a full restoration required. Worth it in my opinion. Too few around as it is, needs rescue. You are right tho, $600 is horribly expensive, plus materials and labour unless you choose to do it yourself, and you would be perfectly capable of a fine restoration. A rare opportunity :) Paul

what fascinates me is that it is a 65-note push up with an 88-note tracker bar. It could be an orginal Aeolian modification, as it is know that they did this to upright 65-note piano's and perhaps also push-ups. if it's not original I think this will decrease the already not so high value of this apparatus. There are several question's I'd ask myself before attempting to buy it, like: how is the transformation done, is it done very neat or did they make a mess. Did they use Aeolian parts, and: does it have a tracking device, as this is really necessary on a 88 tracker bar. I already told Daniel this, but I wanted to share it with all of you to see if anybody's with on this. I advised him to buy an original push-up, this could be an original one, but for the same matter it's not.

This is a fairly early model, as the serial number tells - about 1901. I think it probably was a brass tracker bar model by that time, the earlier ones being boxwood (like Orchestrelles). Shame if it's got an 88n bar on it now. It ought to be changed back. Are the spoolbox chucks and drive original, or have they been replaced as well? These early models have upright pneumatics and a hugely complex series of primary and secondary pouch boards in a chest where all four faces are gasketed and have channels running through them to link the boards together, and from boards to tracker in one direction and pneumatics in the other. I gave up on restoring mine when it still leaked like a sieve after a lot of work, and it's been sitting on its side for the last 15 years waiting for me to have another go at it! Later 65n pushups are much more familiar with similar stacks to those seen inside pianos, and are probably much easier to work on. I think these early instruments are very interesting, and well worth saving, but sheer practicality might suggest holding out for a later one. In this case, where it's clearly been got at, I'd be very wary and only take it at a notional price. Julian

Thanks Paul ,Niels and Julian :) I have asked the seller for more pictures of the workings and spoolbox area.I have still yet to hear back from him (and may not?).At present I'm really stuck at 50/50 on whether to place a (successful) bid or not. Yes = An old instrument saved , rare to come by in Oz , an item i will get restored and save for another generation . No = Not looking in the best condition , maybe had modifications ,not a good starting price , workings hard to restore ,general internal damage. Hopefully i can get the requested additional pictures from the seller and when i do i will post here as well.The issue that plays on my mind is , and i know Paul can agree with me on this one , is that ive used ebay for 6 years now and this is the very 1st pushup ever listed , i check a variety of sites that sell items/collections and have never come across a pushup till now. Here in Oz there just as rare as hens teeth , and what is around in peoples back sheds could be that far gone , they will never see usage again , except as firewood I'm afraid.There is a very low following of mechanical musical instruments here at present. Will keep the forum posted on how i go.... Regards Daniel :)

Thankyou to everyone who read and gave me advice on this topic , ive decided to give this one a miss. The asking price is too high , and then its a difficult and pricey restoration on top of that. Regards Daniel.