Thank you gentlemen, for your input. Most interesting.
If the 88 note piano evolved there must have been a piano with 75 - 80 notes somewhere along the way, and imagine what music Bach could've written if he had an 88 to play on.
Another thought, now that the very top and bottom notes aren't used much, if at all, in modern music, why don't the manufacturers, especially the digital makers, make a shortened instrument?
G1 to C7 would suit me - and it would be less weight to carry around.