Steck upright

[David Boyce]

Well, folks, I'm not sure what it was!  It said Aeolian, but had "By 
appointment to His Majesty" on a transfer on the plate.  The action was a 
Langer, but I don't know whether by that time the Langer name belonged to 
Herrburger Brooks or not (without looking it up!).

It most definitely had the beautiful pure white ivories - I commented on 
them to the customer. I  don't think the soundboard was stepped.   I would 
phone the client and ask to go back to take some pics, but I am going on 
holiday on Wednesday (to Redding CA - anyone near there?) and won't have 
time until I get back.

The piano sounded, as I said, like a Bechstein.

>>Was it a Gotha Steck?

 >From the look of the dampers that is a Herrburger Brooks (yuck!)
>action and it is therefore probably an English-made Steck.
>JD

>Aeolian Steck's made in Gotha, Germany were .in my mind, superior to any
>upright piano made in Europe in the 'teens.
>If I could reach mine, I could tell you the name of the stamped German firm
>on the action.
>The ivories were the pure white that Aeolian used early on, with no
>demarcation between the heads and tails.
>The soundboard had a "stepped": effect, that is a two-level, construction.
>Have y'all seen this?

>Berley Antoine Firmin II