spinet

…heights; the shortest are called spinets or consoles, and these are generally considered to have an inferior tone resulting from the shortness of their strings and their relatively small soundboards. The larger upright pianos were quite popular in the later 19th and early 20th centuries. The action (hammer and damper…

Because the spinet’s case rises such a small distance above the keyboard, it usually has “drop” action, most of which lies below the level of the keys.