Jeffrey R. Wood asks if anyone has experience of removing the piano key
bed from an upright Steinway.  As I said in my previous post, I had no
trouble in removing the key bed from my upright Steinway model K as it
was only screwed, not glued.  However, the polished cheeks at the ends
of the key bed are permanently attached to the key bed which I suppose
would make repair or re-polishing of them more difficult.  The Steinway
Vertegrand may be different to the Steinway model K though.

John Tuttle mentions a problem with regulation after removing the
key bed.  In my experience the key bed, which was very well located,
went back in exactly the right position and no regulation was required.
In any case, the relationship of the key bed and the action will be
maintained as the action height is determined by the key bed as the
action rests on it.  The action distance from the strings is determined
by the screwed clamps at the top of the action and could not be
significantly affected by the key bed position.

The only reasonably critical position that in theory may be affected
would be the height of the action in relation to the stack.  This is
easily checked by rocking the stack slightly before it is screwed down
tightly to see if the pitmans on the stack are in the right position in
relation to the action.  I have mine adjusted so that when the stack is
rocked the hammers just move but I think that the key bed would have to
be badly and obviously out of position to make much of a difference
which would not be possible on my example.

James Black