eBay's interesting offerings

A Gotha Steck pianola for $1 here in New Zealand! http://www.trademe.co.nz/Music-instruments/Instruments/Keyboards-piano/Pianos/auction-179973647.htm Tragically, it has been gutted (or "converted" :roll: ) at some point in its life, and the player mechanism is no longer there. What a terrible shame. :?

Robert post brings forth a interesting point here , i know thousands of players were gutted in all brands and makes .But everytime i see a gutted player on ebay/trading post or some other online selling point , its always seems to be a Steck.....mmm interesting.

on a belgian site this nice Steinway pianola.... http://www.kapaza.nl/Antiek_en_kunst/Diversen/12076898/Piano_pianola_Steinway.html

Interestingly, that Steinway has the exact same start price as a Steinway pianola that has just turned up here in NZ for sale (although the difference in currency value also reflects the difference in condition!) I'm considering adding it to my collection, although it's in a particularly painful (and distant) part of the country so delivery would cost a bomb. My favourite instrument in a friend's million dollar collection is a 1909 Steinway pianola that sounds like a glass of fine port and plays as well with one foot lightly pedalling as it ever did, despite never having been touched inside(!), so I'm very tempted... http://www.trademe.co.nz/Music-instruments/Instruments/Keyboards-piano/Pianos/auction-181187668.htm

Balclutha really IS remote isn't it! Still, the instrument is cheap for what it is. It looks a little different from the normal Steinway K and the fallbaord logo looks different so perhaps it's a late American model. There's lot of difference between 3500 Euros and 3500 NZ$! Definately the NZ instrument is cheaper! But the Belgian instrument is black looks nicer I think. I've not seen a black case Steinway player before. Black was more popular in Europe than the UK which got over black pianos by the early 1900s really. If you ever get the opportunity to own a Steinway pedal player seize the moment!

Thanks for the thoughts Adam. You're encouraging me to spend money... :x At my request the seller has posted a few more photos, showing the keyslip controls, including a Temponamic dial, and also the frame with what appear to be model numbers. Interesting.... any further thoughts?

Looks more and more interesting! , may be well worth for me to place a bid as the NZ dollar ,is the only currency that mine is higher then at the moment...lol Na just kidding I'm not buying , but i hope you do Rob , it looks fantastic! You will just need to get the baffles repaired (what ever they are...lol) Daniel :)

it's the real thing for sure. The V/P is "Vertegrand model / Pianola" and the strings and hammers look good - not rusty. The tracking motor is the single pneumatic on the side of the spoolbox - some Aeolians are arranged like this. The description "baffles" almost certainly refers to the roll drive motor. I don't know what condition the soundboard / frame is but they're usually fine on these. If it was local to me (or in hte same country!) at this sort of price I'd be hiring a van right now and a couple of friends and a piano trolley and be on the road by 9am! All other player pianos are really junk when you own one of these in fine working order! If you are serious about the pianola, themodist, classical etc then this is the dream machine.

I totally agree. If I didn't have my PEDA and did have a job and house I'd seriously think of importing the instrument. A friend of mine recently restored an 1870 Steinway (not a player of course). And the quality of these instruments is truely exceptional, it's not just a big name.... it's really about the instruments...

Don't get too carried away! There are quite a lot of pretty indifferent Steinway uprights around - they don't survive as well as the grands, for some reason, and sound quite dead. You really do need to hear them first. A lot of player restorers don't much care for them at all! Julian

A lot of player restorers don't much care for them at all! ...or so they would have you believe. Of course scoundels who are "trade" know perfectly well that it is a most saleable item and most likely have 2-3 people already waiting on a "wants" lists. It makes financial sense to tell all and sundry how indifferent one is to them personally. On the occassions that instruments such as this have passed through my hands all I can recall is enquiries from all these oh-so indifferent player restorerers! They'd hate to have you believe they wanted it and would pay market rate! "Dr Duarte" wrote some years back that the best way to buy a cheap Steinway was to repeatedly place ads offering them at £100 and when people called tell them it had been sold - the price would fall and people would try and offload theirs to curb losses. A bit like the stockmarket this week really!

Yeah, maybe... but I've heard as many duds as good ones. Julian

there's a fair point here though. A Steinway K is a superb piano BUT when they are a little tired they can be disappointing - not becuase they are tired but because they are tired and you know how good they could be! A Model K or Vertegrand (basically the same) is superb when in good order but remember if you are taking one of these on you must use proper Steinway or geniune equivalent felts in the piano action, if the piano hammers are being changed use Steinway or Renner, find the very very very best piano tuner preferably someone Steinway trained!

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