Cut-downs (was August journal, etc.)

[Susan Kline]

At 04:23 PM 09/09/1999 -0400, Jim Harvey wrote:
>Susan, I too just received my September issue. I'm happy you have your
>photo on the cover, but you don't look at all the way I remember! 8-}

Time does these things to people. <grin>

>Now that you've homed in on a time frame, I think the -why- of cut-downs
>becomes more apparent. Statistics will indicate that spinet pianos hit
>their stride in the post WWII period. 

I thought it was post WWII, until I talked to the owner, which put it back 
into the mid-30's, to my surprise. Such lengths for such shortness! And on 
a nearly new (under 10 years old) piano. I guess one must never underestimate
the power of a rash idea. Whoever convinced someone to have that done 
should have been in sales! 

>Even today, the looks of a piano are an important criterion to many people,
>but as late as the 70's, I still heard both sales people and clients cite
>the virtues of a Klutz mirror spinet (or one-off equiv.) and favorably
>compare them to the looks of those "cute little spinets" versus those "big
>old ugly uprights". Even Art Reblitz' book has a chapter on cut-downs, if I
>recall correctly.

I get a faint ghost of this in "we don't have room for a big upright". I 
point out that the main difference is in height, though really the main 
difference is psychological. Are they going to allow the piano to dominate 
the room, or do they want it to fit in and hardly be noticed? A matter of 
priorities.

>While your Spector retro is more involved (and new to me), modifying the
>case for a mirror often required some head-scratching as well. Then there

>was the person who cut a hole in their living room floor, modified the
>pedals, etc. That must have been pretty costly as well. (Never did figure
>out how they dealt with keybed height, unless they were really short people).

Maybe they played it sitting on a cushion in the lotus position. That 
obviates the need to rebuild the pedals ... and sinking the piano into 
the floor _does_ allow the mice from the basement freer access. Much more 
convenient for them. 

"Retro" is very apt!

>So, to put things in time/cost perspective on both sides, I expect that
>whoever modified the piano you unearthed was happy to generate the extra
>revenue. Likewise, the client was probably happy because they didn't have
>to come up with the dollars required to buy a new... spinet.

Even assuming a higher spinet cost, compared to labor rates during the 
Depression, picture the process! It makes me tired even to think of it. 
1. Dismantle case and remove all the wire, retaining the bass strings. 
2. Remove the keybed and lift the plate. 
3. cut down the upper case and remount the lid. 
4. break up the plate. Weld it. Be sure that it still fits the case. 
5. saw the treble bridge, and remove the bottom chunk. Remount it 
horizontally.
6. Take off and move the bass bridge. It will barely fit in 
the new place. Now you can cut off the lower part of the soundboard. 
[oops: I should have pulled the thing from the wall, and looked 
at the ribs. A classic photo op missed.]
7. Figure where the new hitch pins should go. (Okay, you're tired 
by now ... just put in the right number of them, SOMEWHERE.)
8. Gild the plate and reinstall it. You have to work out new holes 
for all the lower screws. 
9. Restring the treble. In the lower treble, excessive side-bearing 
will trash the bridge pins. Ignore them. The thing is already due back!
10. Reinstall the bass strings, hooking the now-too-long backlength 
over the hitch pins, making one loop, and cutting off the excess 
and the original loops with it. 
11. Replace the keybed, and adapt the pedals. You expect this thing 
to play as well? Get it to play SOMEHOW, and feel proud of your 
ingenuity. 
12. Tune the sucker. The tone is much worse, but what the heck? You 
got the darned thing to play, and you still have sort of a piano 
to deliver to the owner. 
13. Replace the case parts. You'll need to work on them a little to 
get them to fit, adapting the music desk so it still works. 
14. PASS THE COFFEE! There's GOTTA be a better way to make a living! 

> -- someone who's been in the field too long.

Surprised they didn't just leave the piano in a field, and take off 
for Mexico. 

Susan