Mary, this piano sounds like a candiate for a good old-fashion overhaul. If you're replacing the hammers, please replace the shanks and flanges. Just yesterday, I tuned for the first time an older Baldwin L that had just the hammers replaced..nice job hanging the hammers, but the knuckles were worn beyond bolstering. To answer your question about worn hammers and touch..in my opinion, how the instrument feels has alot to do with the perception of tone. You may replace the block, wire, etc., and get a better tone just from doing that..but if you do the hammers, shanks, and flanges with a good regulation job, the touch AND the tone will be percieved as being much better. All of this work costs some money, and if there's an issue of doing one or the other, then you'll have to put on your thinking cap and decide which bang for the buck this piano will need first. If you say the "students are advanced and require a good touch and tone", then your money might be better spent in the action rather than the wire. That will be your call. Good Luck, -Phil Bondi (Fl.) phil@philbondi.com
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