<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16544" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671012604-01122007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>It was a stencil name put on Lindner pianos. Lindner was an experiment of the Dutch Rippen company. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671012604-01122007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671012604-01122007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>An interesting (at least to me) side note on the Thomas piano was the fact that they (along with a couple of models of Thomas organs) were offered as kits by the Heathkit company.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671012604-01122007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671012604-01122007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>Del</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=671012604-01122007> <P><FONT size=2>Delwin D Fandrich<BR>Piano Design & Manufacturing Consultant<BR>620 South Tower Avenue<BR>Centralia, Washington 98531  USA<BR>Phone  360.736-7563<BR><<A href="mailto:fandrich@pianobuilders.com">mailto:fandrich@pianobuilders.com</A>> </FONT></P></SPAN></DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left> <HR tabIndex=-1> <FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Michael Kurta<BR><B>Sent:</B> November 30, 2007 4:48 PM<BR><B>To:</B> Pianotech<BR><B>Subject:</B> PSO<BR></FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Tahoma size=2>    Anyone run into a Thomas piano?  This is a small console with both sharp and flat keys made entirely of plastic.  Instead of balance rail pins, the keys are held in place by a thin blade of spring steel (which flexes and breaks).  Weird tuning pins too, they look like they are driven in all the way to the pinblock (if it even has one).  Practice felt rail held in place by pieces of angle iron-homemade looking.  Terrible tone and touch, this is the worst example of piano building I've seen, almost as if they tried to use organ parts to put this one together.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Tahoma size=2>    Mike Kurta</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Tahoma size=2>    Syracuse chapter</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>