Cut-down Upt. pianos

[Wimblees@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 9/9/99 9:48:20 PM !!!First Boot!!!, pianotoo@imap2.asu.edu 
writes:

<< Cutting down
 the case of large uprights made them more appealing to the public. Those
 who took it a step farther and actually cut the cast iron plate in two and
 re-welded it to make even shorter pianos did this ill-advisedly. 
 Fortunately this was not does nearly as much as the more modest 
 shortening was done. Usually a mirror was placed on a shelf just above the
 hammers and action. the mirror covered the pinblock area giving the effect
 of a piano which whas about 6 or 7" lower. In addition, the boxey legs were
 removed along with the toeblock and spinet type legs were screwed into the
 bottom of the keybed. Along with refinishing the case, this made the pianos
 look much more modern. >>


About 15 years ago I had a customer try to convince me she had bought a 15 
year old piano, which she wanted me to tune and repair. It looked very much 
like what Jim is describing, with the curved legs, but instead of a mirror, 
it had a nice piece of wood covering the pin block area. For a "cut down" it 
didn't look too bad. When I told her the piano was 75 years old, she couldn't 
believe it. The piano dealer who sold her the piano looked like such an 
honest man.

Willem