The serial number (49618) of Patrick Boeckstijns' Steck suggests it
is a German instrument made in Gotha, of 1910-12 vintage, a fairly late
65-note instrument.  Despite Robbie's note, the instruments weren't
made in the UK for years after USA production stopped, just the rolls.

In the UK there are _many_ such instruments which have had later
Pianola stacks put in by Aeolian, presumably to replace 65-note
originals.  Some have Aeolian-installed 88-note tracker bars with
the original 65-note stack.

There is nothing seriously wrong with the 65-note scale, particularly
for popular material.  (An older member of the Player Piano Group
started with an 88-note-tracker 65-note machine, and he says it was
only after a year, when he got some classical rolls, that he realised
what it was!)  However, roll availability is the problem.

The 88-note scale allows use of all the wonderful recuts and new rolls
currently available, as well as a huge repertoire of old stuff.  So,
go for 88-note if you really want to make music, but keep the 65-note
player if it's just the history and the mechanism you like.

Selling the instrument and getting an 88-note one is much easier and
better than converting it.  We're all conservationists these days
(supposedly), and changing historical instruments just to make them
more desirable is now thought of as vandalism.  However, there are not
many makes of piano to equal or better a Gotha Steck -- which is why
so many were converted all those years ago.

Julian Dyer

 [ Thanks for the correction, Julian.  Could Patrick make an
 [ orchestrion out of the Gotha-Steck?  ;)  -- Robbie