<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2912" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV><SPAN class=815204102-01022007><FONT face=Arial>    The pedal lyre on a brand-new 7-ft. Baldwin got torn off on stage in a high school auditorium and I figured it was the usual case of janitors and students treating pianos like boxcars or baggage carts.  So I ordered a new top mounting block to replace the split one, plugged and re-drilled holes, glued other splintered wood back together, re-mounted the lyre, regulated pedals and dang if two weeks later it didn't happen again!  </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=815204102-01022007><FONT face=Arial>I was livid until they explained to me that there were high spots in the concrete floor of the stage, and not the students' fault -- they didn't know, and the bottom of the pedal box had barely any clearance above the floor. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=815204102-01022007>    <FONT face=Arial>So I ended up having to shave down the mounting block (the top member of the lyre) on a jointer, and had to cut the pedal rods a little shorter and relocated the braces.  The stuff you run into! </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=815204102-01022007>    <FONT face=Arial>--David Nereson, RPT</FONT></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>