Bruce Clark wrote in 011115 MMDigest:

> "Does the frame of the piano require cutting a slot under the key
> bed?  Will this cut damage or weaken the piano?  Can you imagine
> cutting a slot under the keybed and suddenly hearing a loud bang,
> and finding a perfectly good 9' piano ruined?"

The answers are Yes, No, and No.

Having cut into several hundred grand piano keybeds for over 20 years
for Pianocorder, PianoDisc and Pianomation installations, I can say that
with 99% of them I had no problem with cutting a slot for solenoids.
I remember only a couple of very inexpensive (cheap) grands that would
have had a problem if I had not imbedded a steel I-beam or a 1/4" strap
iron into the keybed.  If you notice, late Ampicos usually have such a
steel strap to reinforce the edge of the cut.

The first thing to remember is: cut no more than absolutely necessary.

The piano will not collapse from cutting the keybed.  In most new
pianos, except for Baldwin and Steinway, you can unscrew the whole
keybed from the rim and soundboard.  I have noticed no deterioration of
tuning or any other problems from unscrewing this from the main piano
portion.  A Yamaha, which is the concert grand mentioned earlier, will
definitely allow you to remove the keybed for cutting and fitting to a
stack or solenoid rail.  I would suggest you remove the keybed and set
it up on two sawhorses to fit the stack to the keys.

As far as other alterations, you will probably need to make skirt boards
that follow the rim of the piano all the way around.  These were added
to most reproducers.  They are usually 2 to 4 inches high and help hide
the mechanisms which do not always recede far enough up into the piano.

Once the stack is installed, you will need to reroute the pedal
trapwork.  New wooden ones like the originals seem to work better than
trying to bend metal rods.  How do you think I know that?  They tend to
torque or twist rather than do their work.  A pianist prefers the solid
feel of the pedals.  A spongy feel to the pedal is a major turn-off to
the pianist.

You may also need to cut a major portion of the leg top and add a
shapely wood panel to hide the drawer and possibly the stack.  You
could go ahead and put on double legs, but I don't think that is
needed.  On rare occasions I have had to move the legs several inches
forward -- no one noticed when I did.  If the relocated leg wobbles,
then the round leg plate you moved may need to be recessed further.

You may also have to move the pedal lyre.  Make it easy on yourself:
don't jump through too many hoops if moving the legs or lyre makes the
job easier.  This is a big enough job, no need to make it bigger.

Good luck with the job.  And no, it is not impossible.  Remember that
when you hit a snag, and tell yourself it is.

DL Bullock
St. Louis, MO
http://www.thePianoWorld.com/