Hi folks.. Just wanted to update any and all interested on this project of mine. The piano, an August Førster studio grand, has been online now for over 2 weeks and has fit seamlessly back into the instrument pool we have at the UiB. Comments as to the touch and feel have been all positive, to very positive. Essentially I left the general touchweight the same. But the hammer weight (in terms of Strike weights) were all over the place, and so was the key leading. Looked like they did the weigh off with monster whippen adjust springs set at full strength. This instrument has a high ratio, with top medium strike weights and moderate front weights (about 30 % under NTM maximums). The magnets are doing 15 - 12 grams of work... 15 in the bass graduating to 12 grams in the treble. Comments I get reflect very well what has happened. More open and more in general sound equates quite likely to the fact that from about C3 to F6 I had to add about .75 grams of Strike weight to get all on the top medium SW curve. The comments that go to eveness of play have undoubtedly to do with the lateral eveness an even SW and FW curve provides. And the comments that confirm the general weight characteristics are more or less the same as before go to the fact that the magnets have successfully taken over the job of the assist springs, and probably have a bit to do with increased friction that can be traced to new key bushings. Interestingly... I keep hearing that this kind of heaviness is <<good heaviness>>. This despite the fact that there is on average 3-4 grams more friction weight due to the new key bushings. Hammer shank flange friction is for the most part near 0. I wanted to leave that alone for now to better isolate the change over to magnets and the basic evening out of hammer and key weights. So far no problems with the functioning of magnets and assemblies. Cheers RicB -- Richard Brekne RPT, N.P.T.F. UiB, Bergen, Norway mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html http://www.hf.uib.no/grieg/personer/cv_RB.html
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