...a simpler digital player???

[Glenn Grafton]

>Perhaps you have head of Meisel Industries.
>
>In Music trades is an advertisements from Meisel Industries, which claims to
>have "Butcher Free" player piano systems. According to the ad, "The new
>Meisel Industries' system features the installation of player piano solenoids
>and system within the key and back action of both upright and grand pianos."
>
>I have asked for information on this product, but have never heard back from
>them. Another technicians I talked to told me this system is in the
>development stages, and has not yet been fully developed.
>
>You can contact them at www.meiselindustries.com. They are in Troy Michigan,
>Tel num. (248) 362-3276.
>
>Willem

I saw this outfit at Winter NAMM. They showed a prototype, which I imagine
they are trying to line up piano manufacturerers to license their system.
At that point at least there were no pianos being made with the system.
Even if they were, it is still a system that is installed in the piano (as
that's where hte bulk of interest lies), not something that sits on top of
the keyboard.

To settle the question once and for all. The only currently available
product that plays a piano by sitting on top of the keyboard is from QRS.
It's may be available through Baldwin dealers branded differently since
Baldwin uses QRS's system of players on their pianos (Concert Master) at
http://www.qrsmusic.com
The three currently available player systems are:

Yamaha Disklavier
PianoDisk
QRS (and Concert Master-slightly different but made by QRS)

All three make player systems that use floppies. PianoDisk & QRS have had
for several years systems that use CD's and can be retrofitted. Yamaha only
this year came out with the ability to play back CD's on their much more
expensive players.


Glenn Grafton
Grafton Piano & Organ Co.
Souderton PA
http://www.dprint.com/grafton/
gleng@fast.net
800-272-5980

The box said "Requires Windows 95, or better." So I bought a Macintosh.