Quality of Triumph Autopiano
By Dan Wilson
Denis Anderson also asks about Triumph Autopianos. My sister had a 1927 Triumph upright.
The Triumph was possibly the cheapest player piano ever made in the UK (=L=65 or $330 at that time), and I can honestly say that my sister's instrument, which I tuned and serviced every Christmas for 23 years, was the strongest recommendation I ever met to slam the fallboard shut, walk away and never have anything to do with player pianos again.
The piano had a myriad wolf notes in the treble so it never sounded in tune, the tracking worked backwards when rerolling (it was meant to, a saving) and the instrument became wholly inoperative in hot weather, thanks to warping of the main supply chest sections. Luckily my sister preferred tennis in the summer so this latter fault was not of account.
I only found out how to get her to dispose of it when I asked her to house a very fine Bechstein grand which I had for sale. Her housekeeping was such that few would dare to question my asking price. She only had to hear a few prospective buyers sit down at the Bechstein and run through a couple of Chopin waltzes to realise the calibre of the Triumph. Ah, relief ! (And the Bechstein sold well too. I gave her 10%.)
Sorry, Denis, I'm not being very helpful, am I, but I had to get that off my chest.
Dan Wilson
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