I agree with Michael and Vince about the bridges being very important. I may suggest that, if possible, it isn't always necessary to recap. The sustain can be increased by removing the old bridge pins, sanding the bridge until the string grooves just disappear, renotching (if necessary), and installing new bridge pins. Takes about 4 hours. Bill Spurlock had an article on this in the Journal. I've done this several times and it works quite well. I finished rebuilding a S&S L last month with very little sustain. Used the same board, but did this repair. The piano is very live now. It is already a favorite at the school it belongs to. Tim Coates University of South Dakota
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