Greg and list, I can understand some disdain over many of the commercial tuning tips available on the market today. I thought I might relate some of my experiences buying multiple tips over the years. A little more than three years ago, I started buying tips in lots of ten hoping to come up with a few I could use. Back then I was buying APSCO tips (#2's). I would average about four usable tips out of each lot. About a year and a half I got in a lot and had to send them all back; they wobbled and tilted so badly I couldn't tune at all with them. Ironically after I spoke to John Schadler , he replaced them all with Schaff #2 tips! So then I started buying Schaff #3's ... ten at a time. Again I could count on finding maybe three or four usable tips per lot. Kind of expensive way to go but necessary. Just last Wednesday I got in a set of four Schaff tips and ,much to my surprise, all four were keepers. I genuinely hope it was more than luck. I purchased only one Wantanabe tip a few years ago. The opening was so small it hardly covered the tuning pin half way to the becket. It also wobbled and tilted badly. I sent it back. One is not a very good sample, and I understand others use them with success. By the way the only way I've found to accurately test a tuning tip is to put it on a lever and sample at least a dozen tuning pins on a given piano (usually whatever I'm rebuilding at the time). It will come as no surprise to anyone that tuning pins are even more inconsistent than tuning tips. My ideal of a good tuning tip is no side play and no tilting; I have a few that come close including some older Hale tips I guard carefully. Finding quality tuning lever tips is an ongoing problem, something I wish the supply industry would tackle. I'd gladly pay three or four times the price if the tips would work. I'd love to get in touch with this German supplier, SOLE. Anyone have an address? Just a few thoughts. Charles Faulk ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com
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