Richard Winn asked in 030606 MMDigest:

> I would like to know if anybody has any push-up players for pianos
> for sale, preferably one that uses 88 key rolls and is in some kind
> of working condition.

This has the taste of someone wanting a 1906 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
with the original tyres.  Aeolian Co made perhaps 1,200 88-note push-up
players (of 9,000 pushups including the 65-note ones), and the existence
of about 25 are known at present, with a handful of Hupfeld Phonola
88/73-note Vorsetzers in Europe!  The last one in good working order to
be auctioned in the UK made =L=3300 or, say, $5300.

I estimate that they could be manufactured for around $6000.  There
would be a market for them.  The really ruthless could buy two 65-note
pushups and convert them into one 88-note one.  The stacks are
identical in construction except for the length.

I have seen two scratch-built 88-note keyboard players which used
stacks out of upright players.  This works if you just want to pump
the thing electrically and give the piano hell, but for foot operation
there isn't enough power available for a full playing range.  The
genuine thing has large pneumatics and will play gently at very low
suction, or project well in a large hall.

I think $6000 is cheap for telling a big Steinway what to do without
having to learn the fingering.  Any advance orders ?

Dan Wilson, London

 [ How many Aeolian 88-note push-up players survive in North America?
 [
 [ See "Duo-Art Push-Up Player by Douglas Heffer" at MMD Pictures
 [ site, http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/  The Vorsetzer probably
 [ weighs more than a small piano!  -- Robbie