[ Paddy Handscombe said about the Bluethner (991031 MMDigest): ]

> The Julius Bluethner piano company was not owned by Hupfelds,
> but had an arrangement with them much as Steinway did with Aeolian.
> There are some lovely 'Aliquot' Bluethner Hupfeld grands around.

Twenty years ago, when I was having an 1878 Steinway concert grand
rebuilt by a large restorers' firm in London, they were selling new
Bluethner grands in fair number which included "aliquot" grands
(i.e., with a 4th unstruck, but damped, string on the trichords).
These cost about 12% extra.

Having identical pianos with and without "aliquot" side by side was
uniquely educational: the difference was certainly there, but subtle
in the extreme.  They also had 1920s Bluethners of both types under
restoration, so you could also compare old with new.  For me, old won,
but only by a short neck.

I understand you can still get "aliquot" grands new, but only to special
order.

 [ Regarding the Solophonola: ]

> The sustaining pedal mechanism is invariably pneumatic -- which
> pianolists usually dislike -- but, typically for Hupfeld, can be
> adjusted to work very well.  (There are other subtleties to
> Hupfeld controls which I can expand upon if anyone's interested.)

Yes please.

Dan Wilson, London