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Is this the Arion / "Madel" / "Model" piano being talked about?



Larry.

Yes..Antique Piano Shop evidently has the world's only source of information on them..

How unusual! Only one pedal? Is that a built in metronome at the top?

Only one pedal..some had built-in metronomes,some didn't.The metronome on the one I found doesn't work,but it's a clockwork mechanism so should be a simple fix.

Is that the Mammoth Piano Action Model back there next to the Conover Giraffe??

I just remembered. A technician near me had a small harpsichord looking piano. It sounded like a normal piano but when you pressed a pedal or lever it would sound like a harpsichord. I didn't play on it much. I didn't think its sound was too bad for it's size.

I would like to try out a Mathusheck spinet grand some day. I was told they sound similar to a console size piano and we're a bit better than the usual square grand. Just something about pianos designed to fit into small spaces or look like furniture that fascinate me. Someone near me once posted a ad on Craigslist for a writing desk with a functional piano built into it.

Just in the nick of time for this thread. World Piano News has a short article on Butterfly Pianos. Interesting idea that never caught on. World Piano News Butterfly Piano

It does look cool.

That Madel piano seems to be made to look like a pump organ.

I would describe David Klavins' pianos as unique rather than "oddball," but others may have never seen them before so here is one of David Klavins' creations:



Larry.

Here is a good one. Nicknamed the "kennel piano" (because it looks like a dog house) this Roloff is a cool design:

That Roloff is purty..I'd like to see one in person..

And the lowest key seems to be a black key: C-sharp. That's odd, too.

Regards,

How very odd. Well spotted!

No more oddball pianos? I was enjoying them..

Let's see if this works...

http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/galleries/3004953/bell-piano.html

Sorry, I can't get the photo to appear in-line. (Help greatly appreciated)

Apart from this being a very poor image quality, what is odd about this piano?

The only thing different/odd I can see about the piano is that it has 85 keys, instead of 88. The lowest key is C instead of A.

You are fast and observant Rick. I have seen thousands and thousands of pianos, many with 85 notes, but they all go from A to A. It is extremely unusual and odd to have a piano go from C to C. Not many people will have seen such a piano.
But: it actually makes a lot of sense, musically and also design wise.

Here is another oddball piano. There are amazing museum pianos or extraordinary collectable specimens to be sure. That can be nice. One thing I like though is coming across unusual pianos - or pianos with even one unusual feature - in my work as a piano technician. Like this one:
Comments?

Odd, but inviting! Bet it sounds and plays great!

Rick

I've seen one piano scaled C to C. I remember it was made in New York, but don't remember the name. I always thought it was such a better layout than A to A.