<HTML>Alan, This is a 1898 Hardman 7ft grand which easily compares with the tone and pow= er with the best Steinway D you could fine. It's that good. Original board t= oo. Sustain and color to die for! I bought this piano years ago as a project from hell. The only reason I boug= ht it was the soundboard's sustain. Anyhow each step of the way has turned u= p more surprises than you could imagine. For example,  I went to instal= l the dampers only to find out the dampers which were sent with the piano di= dn't match. Had to start all over with new heads and wires. And of course, no sostenuto = rail or braces. This piano was sent out last week for it's first recording session with on o= f S. Florida premier classical artist. CD will be out in one month. Incredib= le tone. Luckily, no sostenuto was needed for the recording. However, in 2 weeks it's being used for another major event and the sostenut= o will be needed. So time is of essences. If you guys want to see a very interesting piano, go to <A HREF="www.Piano= mart.com">www.Pianomart.com</A> and view the Hardman grands for sale. Ours i= s the first one listed. Picture isn't great but you can see some of the cabi= net detailing. Never had to much experiencing with Hardman grands but this one sure made a = believer out of me. Tom Servinsky</HTML>