Steinway parts

[Thomas Winter]

Greetings,

I recently purchased a set of shanks & flanges and wippens from
Steinway.  All of the pinning on these parts is very loose, one to two
grams.  Steinway says this is normal for their high-tech bushing cloth
and that some centers can have a near zero gram reading and still
funcion perfectly well. But  I have always suspected loose center,
particularly in the hammer shank and the repetion lever, of
contributing to poor repetition.  My thinking was that the low
friction would cause you to regulate the repetition spring weaker
than you ordinarily would.  Has anyone else had experience with
these parts or any thoughts on this subject?

Thomas Winter
San Francisco State University