Tom,
With regard to grand action transport in smaller vehicles, I have a solution that has worked for my previous vehicles (Toyota Camry, Honda Accord) and my current one (Toyota Prius, my first hybrid which, after eight years and counting, I have no regrets about).
I have a piece of plywood that gets suspended above the armrests in the back seat. The key frame gets fed onto this board through an open window. (If one wants to make that move easier to manage, the top stack may be removed from the keyframe and placed on the seat itself, where the keyframe will NOT fit, due to interference with the arm rests). I have had an S&S "D" action in there, but have yet to try a full-sized action with more than 88 keys.
Once the keyframe is in place, slide the front passenger seat back to clamp it in place.
With the stack removed from the keyframe, a towel or furniture pad may be safely placed on top of the keyframe and used for more storage.
Also, I attached a 2x2 to the underside of the action board, so I can clamp the board into the jaws of a WorkMate while performing service at the piano.
Please let us know which vehicle you wind up choosing!
Alan
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Alan Eder, RPT
Herb Alpert School of Music
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, CA
661.904.6483
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-23-2024 08:43
From: Thomas Servinsky
Subject: Car setups for techs
I'll be car shopping sometime in the next year and am hoping that my next vehicle can be a much smaller version of what I have. I'm trying to visualize how to duplicate my set up in much smaller quarters. If you are driving a sub-compact car and do transport grand actions, I would appreciate seeing pics of your set-ups. Gas prices are my big issue and need to find something in the 35-40mph/gal range. Still not ready to take the plunge into a fully electric car, but the hybrids have my full attention. Seems like a good mix to increase mileage.
Tom Servinsky
Registered Piano Technician
Concert Artist Piano Technician
Director/Conductor- Academy Orchestra
Managing Conductor-Treasure Coast Youth Symphony
Keyboardist- Beatles Re-Imagined
Pianist with TLC Jazz Duo
tompiano@tomservinsky.com
772 221 1011 office
772 260 7110 cell
Original Message:
Sent: 4/22/2024 1:36:00 AM
From: Blaine Hebert
Subject: RE: Car setups for techs
I suggested a section for the PTJ: Whats in your tool kit, that could be a regular exploration of individual tech's car, tool kit or shop, but it went nowhere.
I still think its a good idea.
I designed a parts box for my car trunk that I believe works very well and I would love to feature it, as well as my tool boxes/kits.
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Blaine Hebert RPT
Duarte CA
(626) 390-0512
Original Message:
Sent: 04-21-2024 08:07
From: Thomas Servinsky
Subject: Car setups for techs
Dear List
I had meant to include this picture of how my vehicle is setup in one of the previous posts. This setup has been with me for more than 30 yrs., and it's a be tried and true way of organizing our tools and supplies for our profession. As the photo shows, it's due to be rebuilt and get things more in order. But the picture at least shows the basic setup.
It's a combination of metal and wooden storage bins, all housed into this removable box. Everything lives nicely in carefully designed compartments, which makes managing a lot of tools and supplies a breeze. The best feature is the top shelf of the box which is reserved for keyboard cartage. The keyboards are strapped firmly to top the box, making transporting keyboards a safe way to get from point A to B.
This set up has fit all of my vehicles for the past 30 yrs. Even my old Volvo station wagon had the needed width and height to accommodate this setup. Lately I've liked the larger SUV type of vehicles, but this setup could easily work for most hatchbacks.
I would love to see pics of how some of you are managing your tooling storage.
Tom Servinsky
Registered Piano Technician
Concert Artist Piano Technician
Director/Conductor- Academy Orchestra
Managing Conductor-Treasure Coast Youth Symphony
Keyboardist- Beatles Re-Imagined
Pianist with TLC Jazz Duo
tompiano@tomservinsky.com
772 221 1011 office
772 260 7110 cell