Does anyone know of a fix for Steinway lid props?

Yamaha and Kawai use clever systems to prevent the long prop being used in the short props position on the lid.

I have had 4 cases where the lid has smashed down and destroyed the prop between lid and rim.

It is very difficult to fix stupid! I have seen Yamahas where at some time some idiot jammed the long stick past the stop to put it in the wrong hole.

Tie a string from a plate strut to the prop so it cannot be lifted high enough to engage in the wrong hole?

Ugly? Yes. But BDB got it right...

Many thanks for your constructive and helpful reply.

The only real ticket is education. We see lids open on their props with the fly lid not folded back, and all manner of damage to lids and cases due to uneducated handling, moving etc. Seminars or workshops for music students (and their teachers) could go a long way toward prevention of damage (and injury - I would hate to have my fingers in the wrong spot when a lid comes down on its own.)

I always look before I play any open grand...is the prop 90° to the lid? If not, it is in the wrong place and disaster could be imminent. I always take the liberty of fixing it too.

I've never done this, but perhaps you can set up a color coded system - maybe with different color dot stickers, or even a little nail polish or a tiny dot of paint. Put one color on the very tip of the long stick, and a little dot of the same color on the inside of the corresponding hole. You could make the dots small enough that it wouldn't be visible unless you're looking right at it.

colour coding; good idea..now how do we assist the colour blind folks....oops my irritating attention to details....

Thick, really nice looking felt between the props and the rim, used as a stopper. Get the customer to take out the vacuum instead of telling him how to use the different prop sticks!

Or just tell the customer how to use it.

Then again, the new soft-closing lids could maybe help the stupid ones. Why not a remote for closing it? Just another app on your iPhone?

Even better, Corning will come out with an invisible lid!!!!

Stupid people pay for their mistakes, I have been stupid often enough!!!

Dear all,

The Steinway to which I refer is in a University Recital Hall used not only by students, but professional concert artists, so there are a lot of people to educate.

Have talked to the university and have agreed to send a guide to proper use of lid props.

Thanks for the replies and some left field suggestions!

I shall also talk to a friend ( retired precision engineer-who happens to own a D) and see if he can make a limiter as found on the Yamaha C Series.

Well at least some attempt at education will be done. You would think that after 3 disasters people might figure it out on their own...


Maybe your friend can convince Steinway to use his invention.

A nice piece of hard felt could be used to limit how far back the prop goes.

Ta!
I'm not quite as dumb as I seem. The lid/prop disasters were not all on the same piano.

I have engaged the services of my retired precision engineer to manufacture a limiter for the Steinway D lid prop.

When it is ready I shall inform one and all, then sell it to Steinway, Grotrian etc and live happily ever after!

Ben Nolan