<html> <body> I did re-pin some hammers that were loose to good effect... They've been talking about making Steinway take this piano back like NMSU did with theirs.  They probably should.  The other issue is that the brand new hammers were over-striking and drop can't be set within a reasonable distance of the strings. Andrew Anderson At 01:16 PM 7/29/2007, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">I'm assuming you've tried pinning the centers on the tighter side?   Loose pinning can really distort the tone... David Ilvedson, RPT Pacifica, CA 94044 <hr> Original message From: "Andrew Anderson" To: "College and University Technicians" Received: 7/29/2007 9:19:11 AM Subject: [CAUT] Weights vs Riblets in an S&S D Listmembers, Some questions in response to the journal article; practical application. I service an S&S D where we are really unsatisfied with the mid to upper treble killer octaves.  I describe the sound a fuzzy.  The upper partials clash and do not settle into a clear ringing tone.  The high treble is fine.  This is the kind of sound you get from cheap chinese grands when you try to play them loud--distortion.  Problem is it happens at all dynamic levels.  Needling hasn't helped, shellac got us back some power but the sound still fritzes and fuzzes on us.  The Steinway Artist I was working with voted for replacement with Hamburg hammers (I'll second that one).  I was thinking about swapping in different hammers to check if it is the hammers but with this article I wonder about other solutions.  This four going on five year old S&S D has other issues but tonally we are experiencing a weaker, unresolved tone in this area. Would the use of riblets improve this situation?  I clamped a small grip on a bridge-pin and did not notice a difference here and so didn't explore soundboard impedance any further.  Perhaps stiffness and reducing the resonant frequency a little would help? Comments? Andrew Anderson at TAMIU </blockquote></body> </html>