Howard Leibowitz said in 981029 MMDigest:

> Regarding Kastner Autopiano, London, England, 1910-1915, supposed
> to play 65 and 88 note rolls -- anyone have any experience with
> the same?  I also have this mechanism in a Rachals Piano, Hamburg,
> Germany, approx. 1905.  Any info re Rachals -- are they collectable?
> The piano looks brand new.

I only know a little about Kastner & Co. because I knew a tuner who
worked at the London factory when he was young.  Kastner was a first-
generation German immigrant to England, remembered as breezy and
cheerful.  He emigrated because "there were too many piano makers in
Germany already !"  The Kastner factory in London was in business for
several years before they started making players.

The Kastner piano and the Kastner player action, which I think was
bought in, were solid and worthy without being outstanding.  Most
people who have them keep them for their dual 65-note and 88-note
tracker-bars.

The Autopiano was in production for only 16 years (1908-24), the rarer
post-1916 examples usually being 88n only, and yet they're quite
well-known in England, despite having had to compete with the
Orchestrelle (Aeolian) Company's wide range of very good value player
pianos.  I was told that for a short period there were Kastner
Autopiano grand players which were disguised mid-price Monington &
Weston grands.  If the M&W uprights are anything to go by, these would
be adequate but not thrilling instruments.

Before the Great War the pop player was in its infancy and the market
was heavily weighted towards classical.  Here Aeolian's "Themodist"
system outclassed the Kastner and around 1912 Kastner introduced the
Kastonome which was an ingenious but very complex instantaneous-theme
system requiring half as many pouch valves again as in the normal
stack.  The rolls had theme perforations on the edges which could only
accentuate one note on the keyboard.  I described this in MMD 980510 but
have learnt since that this was an "A" system and there was a later "B"
system which was quite different.

Kastonome rolls remain fairly common but the pianos were swines to
overhaul, especially when they were 65/88n as well, and are now very
rare.  In 1925 Kastner merged with the low-budget Triumph Autoleon
concern and gradually sank from view, though Kastner pianos were still
being advertised in 1930 and pink-label non-theme Triumph ("Kastner &
Co") 88-note rolls are still very common today.

I've seen Kastonome actions in two Grotrian-Steinweg uprights but know
nothing of the Rachals.

Dan Wilson, London