Steinway legs

[Horace Greeley]

Hi, David,

Quoting David Love <davidlovepianos@comcast.net>:

> I've got a university piano, S&S O, c 1910 and the rear leg has
> disappeared.  Don't ask.  Apparently it was broken while someone in a
> drunken stupor tried to roll the piano across the carpet and in their
> embarrassment, they threw out the leg!!!  Better than the piano, I
> guess.

Depends...is it insured?...for replacement, that is?

> So I have to replace it.  Question is, is it likely that the
> plate of a replacement will match the plate of the original, not to
> mention the height, thickness, screw hole position or anything else that
> might cause me to have to do more than just put it on.

No, well, ok, slim chance that this will be simple replacement.  You'll have
to (at minimum) replace the leg plates, too; they are never matched properly
unless you do...which may well mean plugging and redrilling the wood plate
in the instrument.  The newer plates are also (usually) thicker than the
ones from that period, so, something is probably going to have to be
relieved.  Deck height on these plates is crucial to getting the leg itself
to sit squarely butted against the bottom of the instrument.

Matching the style could be interesting.  Paul Fleischer (in L.A.) used to
do custom building of things like this, but I do not know if he is still in
business or not.  There are probably others who are doing it now.  You may
be able to find a used leg someplace.  I think there was a thread recently
about the number of legs/lyers/etc that moving companies someone wind up
having...As I think of it, a company like Keyboard Carriage might have
contacts for new-making of a leg (in appropriate style).

Of course, you can always use this as a way to get them to install all new
legs...(just kidding, really).

>  (Stanford, no
> less, and I thought these people were supposed to be bright)

Please....

So, when did you start doing Stanford?

Best.

Horace