noisy dampers (wires)

[A440A@AOL.COM]

Carol writes: 
<<Don't bother disassembling the piano!  I wouldn't trim those damper felts 
either.  Do:
1) try sticking a single needle in the damper felts to "voice" them
2) tell the customer that the piano is "breaking in" and that when the 
damper felts get grooves in them they won't be so noisy
 
   Gee,  I got the driving urge to  wave another flag here.  Since I forget 
all my old experience, I will try to stick with current happenings.  I have 
been looking at 18 new Yamaha and 6 Steinway grands go through their first 
semester at Vanderbilt.         The damper noise is something I have taken 
note of.  The Steinways all made a lot of woosh when the pedal went down.  
Naturally, I suspected that the wedges were bowing the strings, but then 
realized that the woosh was still "available" with pedal movement well after 
the wedges were clear of the strings.(gotta looove them loose upstop rails 
and suicidal trapwork ranges of motion).  I pulled the action out. 
       Lifting the dampers clear with the pedal, then raising the 
underlevers, a woosh!  It seems that the wires were allowed to form a light 
oxide before installation, and this texture was enough tooth to really make a 
lot of noise, enough to be heard in the strings. 
   I Brassoed the wire, listened to movement. Voices of protest were 
silenced.  
While taking these wires out, I noticed another common bug to be remedied.  
Many of the wires were bent so that, while being straight with their 
neighbors, they pressed quite firmly against the sides of the guide bushing.  
It was like a violin being firmly bowed with a well rosined bow. This 
condition will wear out the bushings in less than a year.  I know, I have 
seen it happen, a lot.  (Just like nicked front pins, for which there is NO 
excuse, will wear out that keybushing in 1/6 the normal amount of time.)  but 
I digress...
    Easing the wires and polishing them left nothing but the 
felt-against-string noise, and since I had used an eraser on the  plain 
strings where the wedges entered,  there was very little  of this.  Teacher 
was happy, and could move on to complaining about the softness of tone  <sigh>
    The Yamaha had no such problems.  They worked right out of the box,  but 
their dampers don't improve with age inre the woosh problem.  They tend to 
stay the same, but as they harden,  their return seems to be greeted with 
increasing vigor, (noise).  
   I think the regulation and condition of the parts can have as much to do 
with damper quietness as the felt.  Poorly regulated and corroded wires wear 
the bushings out a lot faster, and make a lot of noise as they do it.  As the 
bushings wear, the wire moves over, and the wedges begin dragging sideways.  
And let's not forget the two center pins in the underlevers being held 
against a strain.  
   I have gone on too long,  but it is just noise, it has to come from 
somewhere, and it can come from several places at once. 
Regards,
Ed Foote