For piano historians: I found an ad in the June 6, 1944 copy of the
Lancaster (Ohio) Eagle-Gazette from Heaton's Music Store of Columbus,
Ohio.  It bemoans the poor condition of most pianos, and then:

  "How easy to rectify all this by spinetizing, reconstruction,
  rehabilitation into lovely MirrA pianos.  Simple elimination of
  all unsightliness, massiveness, superfluous wood, excess weight,
  unnecessary parts which have no bearing whatsoever on tone,
  durability, ease of playing.  Total cost only $395.  Cash or
  easy payments."

I've never heard of "MirrA" pianos or spinetizing, and it sounds just
terrible.  It occurs to me that many of my betters here deal in old
pianos and might have run into instruments that have been spinetized,
which I suppose means that they've been turned into something resembling
a spinet piano.  I have no idea what "MirrA" might mean -- it might be
"Mirr A," for the reproduction of the ad is very poor.

Does anyone have any idea what this was all about?  I might use it in
one of my weekly historical articles for the Eagle-Gazette, and I
thought it might be of interest here as well.

Mark Kinsler

 [ My wife once owned a "mirror-ized" Aeolian ex-pianola wherein the
 [ case was cut down and a wide mirror installed above the music rack
 [ to make the piano appear a bit smaller.  -- Robbie