Wippen Support Springs

[Lloyd W. Meyer]

David & List,

David Stanwood's recent post invites a response concerning the action model
Renner USA showed at the California PTG convention with the "Turbo Wip"
installed.  David's analysis of the model is correct.  We used a standard
Steinway action model, and achieved the 17 gram touch weight reduction (67
> 50) David describes without even regulating the spring in that particular
example.  Rick Baldassin did the installation, and was able to remove lead
in addition to achieving a lower touch weight.  Without the "Turbo Wip",
two additional leads were needed to produce the same touch weight.

I have long appreciated the good work David has done in this area and have
nothing to add to his comments.  We have had great success with the counter
sprung wippen, having produced it for nearly a century, however I was very
apprehensive in making this wippen generally available for Steinway because
I was concerned it might be used for the wrong reasons as David points out.
 In fact, I have delayed adding this wippen to our Sample Parts Kit until
we had more field experience.  I can tell you unequivocally that we have
now shipped a significant number of these sets, and not experienced a
single problem.  I know David has assisted at least one of our customers
privately and there may have been other problems I'm not aware of, but the
results are very positive and, in a few cases, truly astonishing. This is
not a commercial, and I don't want to oversell the concept because it's not
for everyone and definitely not intended as a remedy for basic geometry
problems.

That's about as technical as I'm able to get, not being a technician.  Best
wishes.

Lloyd