John Tuttle's question in the MMD for 000205 about the length of time
it takes to manufacture a piano prompts this response.

Different manufacturers used different methods of "construction".  At
Wurlitzer, the Holly Springs, Mississippi plant, the back of the piano
was constructed, strung, chipped and then placed in a warehouse for ten
days.  They wanted to see what would happen with the back under tension
from the strings.  In the early 1980's, Wurlitzer had the capacity of
about 100 strung backs per day.  The serial numbers were not added to
the backs lest one of them crack or break before being mated with the
sides, keybed, and action.

Backs which had completed their stay in the "curing room" (my term,
not Wurlitzer's) were then brought out to be fitted with the cabinets,
keyboards, actions, etc.  Again that assembly line had a capacity of
about 100 pianos per day, although in peak periods those women could
turn out 120 per day.  At the risk of being redundant, I refer readers
to the series of posts I did for this forum a couple of years back.
In one of them I list all the manufacturing steps used at Wurlitzer.

I cannot remember when the serial numbers were added, but it was
probably at some point after the cabinet was glued to the back.  As
I recall the serial numbers were stamped on the back of the piano, but
I am not sure.

Aeolian, on the other hand, assembled their pianos using a slow moving
chain which pulled the pianos along to the different stations.  They
were crated for shipment and loaded on semi-trailers as soon as they
came off the line!  That is where I observed the man crating the pianos
with the arrows and legend saying "This side Up" with the arrows
pointing to the floor!  I remarked to my guide that shipping pianos
up-side down was something new to me.  He corrected the situation
immediately, but I often wonder how many pianos had left the plant on
Pershing Avenue with the crates on up-side down.

Baldwin's vertical plant in Conway, Arkansas, assembled pianos from
wooden parts manufactured in the Greenville, Mississippi plant.  It was
a continuous process and none of the strung backs were "cured" a la
Wurlitzer.

In all cases, I must have been asleep when the serial numbering station
was visited.  To answer John's question, all I can say is there did not
appear to be a big lapse of time between the time of manufacture and
the numbering of the piano.  All three plants mentioned above shipped
pianos as soon as they were finished, with the exception of Aeolian's
players which were trucked across Pershing Avenue to have the player
actions fitted to them.

Wurlitzer's 3000 series pianos received special treatment.  They were
sent to the "Compress" (an old cotton compress on the other side of
Holly Springs where Wurlitzer assembled what few grands they were
making in those days) to be finished.  Three women literally tore each
piano apart looking for imperfections.  It was there, under the
tutelage of a very kind and patient woman, that I learned to voice
piano hammers.  Those pianos were "finished" in a temperature and
humidity controlled room.

Ed Gaida
egaida@txdirect.net