I have a large 65/88-note Rachals upright fitted with Kastner & Co.
Autopiano action.  I picked it up at auction for =L=125.  MMDers might
like to know the details.

I viewed a house clearance prior to the day of sale.  There were half
a dozen players in various states of disrepair.  Most had been stored
under poor conditions.  The Rachals, however, looked in good order,
and inspection showed that it had been well restored.  Obviously the
owner's preferred instrument.

I tried it but initially could not get it to work.  Upon close
examination I discovered some simple faults which I was able to correct
there and then.  I placed "Maple Leaf Rag" back in the spool and, Bingo!
Music filled the showroom and heads appeared from all corners.  The
auction house staff descended upon me with alacrity.  "Can you come on
sale day and play it?"

"Sorry, no I can't" I replied.  And I then returned the instrument to
its former state.

Sale day was good: only two of us bid and I was determined to go up to
=L=400 if need be.  It is a delightful instrument and I shall be taking
it to Keswick International Jazz Festival next year.

The decal is interesting in that it appears as 'The ,,Autopiano"' with
the opening quote marks low and the closing ones high [in the fashion
of German punctuation].

Volume expression is via buttons that operate pneumatics to lift the
treble or bass halves of the half blow rail.  Sustain is via a lever.
However, an accentor lever seems to have little effect.  Any
suggestions as to its method of operation and regulation?

I find the smaller Autopianos rather disappointing.  The arrangement
of the valves in horizontal fashion seems to me to be a significant
weakness when compared to the vertically positioned, more robust,
Aeolian and Higel systems found in many other players, particularly
Duo-Arts.

The all-in-one Autopiano valve chest with floppy valves and bushed stem
guides requires a lot of work to get working properly.  I have had two
failures with Autopianos -- maybe due to inexperience, maybe due to the
chest itself leaking -- but they just look and feel cheaper.  Any hints
on how to succeed with them?

Roger Waring
Solihull, England