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<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Re: The Mother of all Bellyrails</TITLE>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Looks very familiar to me, with all =
that extra iron
on the plate extending under the strings. My first piano was a =
Chickering
built like that, cost me $35 in 1955. I don't remember the model =
number
nor the length (6 feet?) but if I were a betting man... I was a college =
student
and learning tuning on the side. Bought it to fix up and =
sell. It
never sold, so I gave it to my church.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Glad to hear from you that the design =
had so much
positive going for it. I was disappointed in the primitive =
action:
no repetition levers and the jack flanges mounted directly on the =
keys.
One-piece ivories. Glued-in pin block which suffered from my =
attempt to
ream out the plate holes for 4/0 tuning pins. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Bill Maxim, RPT</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Columbia, SC</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>