keyboard levelling

[Phillip Ford]

>I did see one 50+ year-old American grand which had a drop screw in front 
>of the balance pin holes of each key. There were no punchings on the 
>balance rail pins but the drop screw "heads" rested on a strip of cloth on 
>the balance rail. The keys didn't need leveling but the whole job couldn't 
>take more than 15 minutes to accomplish. If this method were retrofitted 
>as described, one problem is that the key ratio would be changed. But it 
>would work well if the keys were being replaced with new ones which 
>incorporated this design.

This design has been mentioned by Jack Wyatt on the list.  Archives may 
yield a bit more info.

>...
>I seem to remember somebody at Steinway working on this idea a while back 
>but nothing has come of it to my knowledge.
>
>Tom Cole

See patent 5,654,515 to W Youse for Steinway, Inc on August 5, 
1997.  Another interesting idea.  I don't know why it hasn't made it into 
production pianos.

Phil Ford