Hi all,  A friend of mine was just given a rebuilt Chickering grand
with Ampico (also rebuilt); he was told he could cut it up for firewood
if he liked.  Well, he didn't -- he loves the piano!

Now, this is a very interesting piano, built in 1926.  It is, I think,
Spanish Colonial style, with hinges and leg braces and the pedal brace
made of "wrought iron".  The piano case itself has no curved sides --
it's all straight lines.  You can see from underneath that the rim is
the standard curved rim, with wood added to it to provide support for
the sides; from above it's an oddly shaped trapezoid.  When the lid
and key cover are closed, it looks like a big box with turned legs.

The harp has been cast with extra material to match the straight sides,
so this must have been a production run; I can't imaging all these
modifications for a one-off piano.  Below the serial number is "5SP".

Any ideas out there?  By the way, my friend also received three boxes
of Ampico rolls, too!  Some guys just live right...

David Dewey

 [ Does it emulate the case of a Hungarian cimbalum?  -- Robbie