<html> <body> Hi Mark,               Glad to hear you are alive and kicking. At 04:02 PM 2/15/2005, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">We have an 1986 Baldwin SD-10 here with the fancy individual front-duplex peices and accujust hitch-pins. String segments from the tuning-pins to the front duplex, and from the treble bridge to the hitch-pins are open (unbraided), and quite "lively" throughout the treble. My question; is this original?</blockquote> Yes it is. <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">The front segment looks suspect; instead of a thick string cushion, there is only bushing cloth, which comes nowhere near to contacting/muting the strings.</blockquote> This the way it was designed.  The woven cloth is there to cover the Allen machine screws that secure the resonators to the plate. So purely cosmetic. <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">(to the best of my knowledge, this instrument has never been restrung)</blockquote> Probably not since 1986 Vintage <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Would this segment originally have been braided?</blockquote> No. <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">I'm going to braid it anyhow (it has a ring-time of 6-7 seconds when strummed), just can't imagine this segment being intended to ring, no matter the carefull de-tuning of the actual duplex segments.</blockquote> Harold Conklin did more research on tuned and detuned duplex's than any one I know of. Lifting the strings will reduce the amount if sizzle quite significantly, so try before you braid anything.  Make sure the the lower shoulder of the hammers in this section is deep needled, to give the hammer some elasticity. Hope this helps. Regards Roger <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">thanks in advance, all you good Baldwin folk! Mark Cramer, Brandon University _______________________________________________ caut list info: <a href="https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives" eudora="autourl"> https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives</a></blockquote></body> </html>