This might be seen by some as "killing a gnat with a sledge hammer", but I'll offer it as a suggestion anyway. It might work on some pianos to just pull out the plate screws and raise the plate up an inch or two and punch the old bushings out from the top. On some pianos, the plate doesn't come out so easily, with things like the music desk guides in the way, and sometimes part of the rim in the way, but on some, it's only a matter of a couple of minutes to pull some screws. Just a suggestion. I don't think I've ever done a restringing where I didn't have the plate out anyway. Good luck, Brian Trout Quarryville, PA btrout@desupernet.net
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