<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On Sep 12, 2006, at 9:47 AM, Jeff Tanner wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; ">The "hammers" on this one actually rested on the string, in a way serving as both the hammer and the damper simultaneously and what sustain exists happens because the hammer becomes like a fret, like "hammering on" with a fretted instrument.</SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>Hi Jeff, <BR><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>Yes, that picture looks very familiar. Probably the same beastie (mine is also reddish in color). I think it more likely that my interpretation of the hammers is correct, that they are intended to hit the strings and then rebound to a position slightly away from the strings, allowing free resonance to the strings (no damping at all). It has the right sound to my ear, played like that. Much like the sound of a hammered dulcimer. It's just a matter of bending the wires the hammers are on a wee bit, though that's a bit dicey what with the type of plastic. Definitely hold the wire positively while bending rather than stress the plastic body. Or maybe there is a way to adjust the position of the whole action a bit.</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>Regards,</DIV><DIV>Fred Sturm</DIV><DIV>University of New Mexico</DIV><DIV><A href="mailto:fssturm@unm.edu">fssturm@unm.edu</A></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></BODY></HTML>