[pianotech] Mirror Piano

[Noah Frere]

:) - yeah but she didnt need one - she's so naturally pretty...

On Fri, Oct 7, 2011 at 9:41 AM, Coleman, Jim <jcolem21 at utk.edu> wrote:

>  In my experience in Arizona, most ‘Mirror’ pianos were done because the
> piano had so many problems (loose tuning pins, split boards and bridges) the
> toners made the piano look snazzy with the mirror and most often sprayed the
> cabinet with Zolotone which is similar to the spray-on bed liners for pickup
> trucks today.****
>
> I picked up a Mirror piano last week here in Knoxville, TN.  It looks ok on
> the outside but is dump-worthy on the inside.****
>
> But hey, I got a new mirror for my wife!****
>
> ** **
>
> ** **
>
> Jim Coleman, Jr   RPT****
>
>   Staff Piano Technician****
>
>      University of Tennessee****
>
>      Knoxville, TN****
>
> President/Piano Technicians Guild****
>
> Worship Leader/Mt. Carmel Baptist Church****
>
> jcpanoman at colemantools.com****
>
> jcolem21 at utk.edu****
>
> (865) 748-0998****
>
> (865) 465-7100****
>
> *(602) 989-0005*
>
> ** **
>
> *From:* pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] *On
> Behalf Of *Noah Frere
> *Sent:* Friday, October 07, 2011 9:29 AM
> *To:* pianotech at ptg.org
> *Subject:* [pianotech] Mirror Piano****
>
> ** **
>
> I told someone yesterday that the cut-off portion of an old Upright, where
> they added the mirror, did not degrade the structure of the piano. I still
> believe that, but I wanted to confirm it with others. She found this online,
> not I don't think to argue against my point, but just as an anecdote:
>
> *"During World War 2, American piano manufacturers ceased production to
> assist in the war effort. Rationing made it impossible to build a piano
> during those years, so piano tuners and rebuilders saw a golden opportunity
> to keep up with the public's demands by introducing the "mirror piano". They
> simply took a large old upright, often a gutted player piano, cut a
> step-shelf along the top, and secured a mirror across the exposed back so
> that the piano had the appearance of being smaller or more modern. These
> "re-styled" pianos became very popular during the war, and unfortunately
> this trend continued for another 30 years. Hundreds of thousands of heirloom
> pianos were butchered during these years, and they are still commonly
> encountered. Because irreparable damage was done to the integrity of the
> instrument, mirror pianos are seldom worth more than a few hundred dollars
> at best." *
>
> Are we all in agreement that the "irreparable damage" is cosmetic only?***
> *
>
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