Dear Greg & Mary Ellen, The symptoms you describe may be mutually exclusive. First of all, this late model Howard grand was likely among those made by Samick for Baldwin. I believe the name has been discontinued in favor of the D.H. Baldwin moniker. You hit the nail on the head by attributing the volatile tuning characteristics to the institutional airflow in the nursing home. I dealt with a similar situation with a Yamaha G1 grand which exhibited pitch swings in excess of 50 cents (in the tenor) from season to season. The problem was effectively managed with a customized 100 watt Dampp Chaser system. As for the tight damper guide rail bushings, may I suggest you check the damper underlever pinning? During my tenure as national service manager for Samick in Canada, we dealt with this problem regularly on several of the Samick grand models. At first glance the sluggishness would appear to be caused by the guide rail bushings but further investigation usually uncovered tight underlever centers. It's hard to believe that these centers, which travel through such a small arc, can cause such profound sluggishness in the comparatively heavy damper. Let us know how you fare! Best regards to all from the snow covered Canadian prairie, Stan Kroeker, RPT Kroeker & Sons Piano Experts 59 Quiring Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R2G 1Y5 Ph. (204) 669-5881
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