David, Ron, It's from your pictures that I started doing this as well. It solves a few problems, rendering being one of the biggest. I might warn those starting this that on some pianos (I just did a B) grinding the plate and/or some other modifications are needed. No big deal really, but taking a grinder to a B for the first time can be scary. Also, one mistake I made was to have the felt be too high there so that too much pressure was on the wire. It only needs to lightly touch the string and not become another bearing point. Another error was to leave the angle too acute. The plate and/or the brass may need to be ground down or adjusted to get a good angle. This solved big problems on a Mason A we have, as well as several S&S. Jim Busby BYU <<<<Here's some more pictures including the replacement of the cast-in counterbearing areas in the treble with brass half rounds. David Love www.davidlovepianos.com >>>>
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC