><< I could see overtorquing at the factory as a cause. But why Steinway, >during a time considered to be the zenith of their history, and not a >lesser brand? >> > >Tom; ------ This includes pianos other than S&S. But to answer your >question as to why at that point in time for S&S.........??????????? > Y'all must go higher than me my son :-) >Jim Bryant (FL) > How many people would be on the payroll at any given time doing full time agraffe installation at Steinway, or any other manufacturer, for that matter? Maybe 1/2? They might have rounded him up periodically to help bend rims, given his tender touch. That would at least help to make him an entire full time employee. How many years could "Biceps" have been employed in his agraffe overtorquing capacity before his wrists finally gave out? How long does a piano with overtorqued agraffes have to be in service before you start to see stem failure resulting from over enthusiastic installation technique? How many (total) pianos might he have installed agraffes in through his career? In short (unlikely as it may be), all the agraffe failures seen in all the New York Steinways produced through a specific period of time could very well be the result of the work of one individual who didn't know he was causing future problems because it seemed to work just fine for him at the time he did it. The overall quality of the piano wouldn't really have any bearing on the situation in this case, would it? Then again, maybe it's just the threading on the stud, like Tom and Robert say. Just another perspective. Ron N
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