I admire your passion for the stomach Steinway, Robin!

However, another grouse about old boxes (and I do have several cluttering the pace up, including a beautiful La Scala 120 bass ladies box (!) circa 1940s) is that the action is usually shoite, and fast or stacatto playing is just a mushy wall of sound. I only get a decent speed of key rise on modern boxes.

I will admit to a mania for Italian boxes, as the wet tuning is jiggy jig, and those old Hohner horrors are still only any use for stamping up and down parade grounds.

By the way, I ain't as rich as Cresus (sp?) but I have paid off my expensive instruments with paying gigs, but I've nearly worn out the keyboard on a Guerrini 72 bass (and I agree that I do run out of basses after eff sharp miner on that beauty). My ambition is to do what my good friend the divine Tina Cook did, and fly to Ancona, and cruise round Castelfidardo playing all the big names there, then choosing which one it'll be for me. Interestingly, she chose the Guerrini!