Hi Phil, I couldn't help but notice the other responses to your question. There may indeed be problems that will run pretty deep. But before you get too excited, you might want to do some up close and personal examination of just what's going on. On my travels, I've found several pianos, of various brand names, with 'tight dampers', a few of which a customer (or maybe even a technician?) might have added a weight somewhere. On a grand, it's a little harder to get to the majority of the damper section since you pretty much have to pull the action to really check things out right. I have a feeling that when I've seen the 'weights', it's probably because either the technician didn't have time to pull the action and take care of the problem(s), or they didn't quite know what they were doing, and I don't mean that disrespectfully. There are a lot of technicians who don't have a good working knowledge of grand damper systems. (But that's what classes are for, right? Looks like several good ones at Arlington this year...) The normal Steinway damper guide rail is not so tight as one might imagine. When the damper wires are bent into their final position, they are intended to have the wire put a slight pressure on one side of the damper guide rail bushing. This makes for a fairly quiet and smooth overall operation. ...Until there's too much pressure being placed against the side of that guide rail bushing. Things do move around a bit in a piano. That's life. It doesn't necessarily stay where we put it. My point is, it's worth checking to see if just a slight bit of damper wire bending will solve your problem. If it will, it's much easier than replacing the whole back action. It's like throwing away your engine and buying a new one just because you need new spark plugs! That being said, there are other things like tight flanges, damper lever weights that have fallen out, and a bunch of other little things to look for. But don't miss the damper guide rail in your checking for sources of f riction. Just had to throw in my two cents. Good luck, Brian Trout Quarryville, PA btrout@desupernet.net
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