Delaminated pin block query

[Les Smith]

On Fri, 14 Nov 1997, pianoman wrote:

> Hi Les,
> I didn't even know that grands as small as this were made that early.
> James Grebe

Jim, Jim, you're letting your prejudices regarding modern pianos show
through again! While you may be right that the technology involved in
producing a really bad small grand piano may not have actually bottom-
ee out until the introduction of the "la Petite" (Cone on, that's what
you were really thinking about, wasn't it?), actually a lot of the pre-
liminary research that made such a technological milestone possible was
already underway at the turn of the century. Those of you interested in
the long, shady hisory of really bad small grand pianos will undoubtedly
be glad to know that they are mentioned in an utterly-forgettable, turn-
of-the-century book entitled THEORY AND PRACTICE OF PIANO CONSTRRUCTION,
written by none other than William ("Wild Bill") Braid White, author of
the well-known PIANO TUNING AND ALLIED ARTS. In the early book, published
I believe in 1905, Bill indicates that efforts to produce small grand-
piano-shaped  objects ideally suited as places for potted plants, family
pictures, sleeping cats, year-arond Nativity scenes and piles of impres-
sive-looking music that no one in the family could even read, let alone
play, were underway well before the turn-of-the-century. The "target-
market" for such pianos generally consisted of tin-eared, non-pianists,
who couldn't find middle-C with a road map and a seeing-eye dog, and
were primarily interest in a "grand" which they could place in the bay
window in the front room where it would be readily visible to passers-
by whom they hoped would be suitably impressed  by the presence of such a
fine-looking "instrument" in their home. In reality those who did stop and
look were only watching the sleeping cat. Nevertheless, such pianos have
been selling for a LONG time.

If you check a dictionary printed in the early 20's for the phrase  
"piece of crapola", you'll likely find a picture of a under-five-foot
Metropolitan grand staring you right in the face. You have to remember
that technological wonders like the "La Petite" just don't occur over  
night!

Les Smith
lessmith@buffnet.net