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Hello!  Last year I got a 65-note Themodist Steck Pianola from a friend
in the French part of Switzerland.  Now I try to restore it as well as
possible.  When I was reading some messages in the MMDigest I read that
there have been different Steck factories in Europe.  I am interested in
where my piano was manufactured.  Sadly, my friend can't tell me where
the piano was bought.

At first I thought that it has to be a French piano, but then I noticed
the label under the keyboard.  The text is in German: "Begleitung",
which means accompaniment.  The serial number is "MOD. IV 38396".
On the top of the cast iron frame there is written "Steck", and on the
bottom "Steck 2".  On the black bar (where the wind-motor and the stack
is mounted) there is "The Aeolian Company New York".  On the large
bellows there is a paper with a list of all the patents in the USA,
U.K. and France (the latest dated to the 11th Jan. 1910).

The finish of the piano is black shellac, which I've never seen on
other Steck pianolas.

Can anybody help me?  Is anybody interested in a picture of any part
of the piano (maybe the patent list)?

Regards

Daniel Schmutz,
Berne, Switzerland
dschmutz@gmx.ch.geentorep [delete ".geentroep to reply]