<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: MS Sans Serif"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1491" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Ed and all,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial> there is the distinct possibility that = European Union regulatory agencies will be setting the standard for manufacturing = in the world soon as they are the largest market (500 million) for pianos in = the world (the Chinese have potential, but the reality of buying lags and = they have apparently little interest in self regulation) and the strongest = currency in the world. The banning of lead was discussed at Nashville last year at the Stanwood/ExecuKey booth by Ulrich Sauter, the Abel brothers, Bob = Marinelli, Ray Negron,  David, myself and others. David Stanwood was already = showing an alternative material and manufacturing process</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>. Assist springs are not a replacement for lead = but an add on. The MBA folks are trying to supply theer design as an alternative to = lead as with their design there is no key weighting so the issue is avoided, = oops except for the damper levers. The real alternative will pobably be an = alternative material not a design. As Ulrich Sauter said the real problem will be = getting the first manufacturer to commit to production as no one wants to be = first. Then the next problem will be everyone accepting a standard. I think the = interesting thing here is, will manufacturers make two different approaches one for = Europe and one for everywhere else or will what has happened so far with regulations  and the EU ( JAck Welch and GE, MIcrosoft, = etc) happen to pianos. Manufacturers may only want to make one piano for all = markets. This is an interesting question. Any speculation?  Any crying of the = pundits? An airing of the collective ignorance? Well whatever, the times they are a changin'     again.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>TO be specific Ed the MBAs (magnetic balanced actions)  do not feel anything (to my fingers and others I have = talked to) like a traditional design. They can be adapted to, i.e., one can get = used to them, but I don't think anyone has enough information yet to say = whether concert artists will accept the change. Assist sprints have been around = for a long time and work well to reduce lead, or any kind of weighting in the = keys, but they are part of the traditional design palate and feel only = slightly different. The adjustment screw for the assist springs invented by Bill = Ballard and David Stanwood and refined by Randy Morton and Bob Marinelli has = improved this approach a great deal. I wouldn't be too concerned about the = wearing out business or the frequency of adjustment as MBAs have their own = regulation needs so that's a wash, and by the time the assist springs wear out you will = probably need new wippens as happpens anyway. It's just one more spring to = regulate. And what happens to MBAs when the other parts (oh yes there is more to the story) besides the magnets wear? My personal opinion is that MBA is = a fine advance but it  may die on the evolutionary branch because it = is more different or is that differenter? more differenter?? most different...</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>This is all just beginning so we have time to = get ready, and maybe even develop protocols in advance, but for now it would be a = good idea to learn how to regulate both MBA and assist spring actions properly. = Right now Renner and Pianotek offer assistance with the assistance springs at = convention classes but as far as I am aware MBA is only available to those who go = to the weeklong seminars and become licensed installers. Certainly at present = there are many more assist spring actions in the world we live in. How many CAUT = members have MBA actions in their school inventories? </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Anyone interested in an open forum on topic here?   Thanks, Chris Solliday</FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=ed440@mindspring.com = href="mailto:ed440@mindspring.com">Ed Sutton</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=caut@ptg.org href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, March 22, 2005 = 5:41 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [CAUT] about = magnets</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <P> <DIV>O, Great Minds of Caut!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I have heard tell that Petrof is producing grand pianos with a = magnetic assisted action, soon to arrive in our neighborhood.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The magnets are installed in the wippen rail and wippen in = repelling orientation so that the magnets lift the wippen similar to a wippen = assist spring.  The touchweight can be refined by adjusting the magnets = similar to a screw regulated wipen assist spring.  Functionally it seems identical to a wippen assist spring.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>When I asked how it differed from a wippen assist spring I was = told "Springs wear out, but magnets last forever."  I would be = interested in educated comments on that statement.  The magnets will be held continuously in opposition and "compression."  Will they grow = weaker over years? decades? or will they last forever?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>How does this compare with assist springs?  Do wippen assist = springs grow weaker over time?  Faster than magnets?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Jim Ellis, I thank you in advance!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Sincerely,</DIV> <DIV>Ed Sutton</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <P></P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>