overcentering justified?

[Roger Jolly]

>
> >>One puzzling thing is the comment about Roger Jolly's labeling of
>aftertouch as anathema to repetition since the key had to travel through 
>it before
>things can reset.
>Do you think that .050 aftertouch is beginning to be too much for that
>reason? >>
>
>   Way too much.  If possible, get your dip and blow related so that you have
>no more than .035".   I have begun setting up Steinway actions with a usual
>.033" aftertouch and customers are very happy with the response.  I have 
>concert
>actions out there with .025" and .040"  and they are considered to be playing
>very well.

Greetings Ed.
                       After touch:   Lost time and lost space.  <G>  You 
need just enough to have the jack clear the knuckle by about 1mm with out 
compressing the front rail felt punching.  A well designed and regulated 
action,  .025" is all you need to be safe.
Where the action seems to call for more I usually find that the key ratio 
is less than .5.  Or put another way a low percentage of key rise.   Low 
key rations also domino's, into damper head aches, due to the low 
percentage of key tail rise, adding to a less that satisfactory feel to 
the  pianist.
Deep after touch is can usually be viewed as fudge 101, for a badly located 
stack/capstan line etc.
To analyze the problem one has to look at many parameters. 1. Dip to cycle 
the action, typically 10 to 10.5mm, at about 1 7/8" blow distance..   2. 
Action spreads.  3. Hammer bore distances.  4.  Key ratio,  This can be the 
more complex relationship of stack location, capstan line location and the 
unmoveable balance rail location. 5. The health and status of the magic 
line. 6. Finally on Steinway's. Is the wippen rail slightly rotated? I have 
shimmed quite a few sets of flanges  to correct this, to restore the magic 
line, and action spread.

Well I could ramble on for a while on the topic, but the question is not so 
straight forward as we would like it to be.

PS I don't know if hammer rake has been mentioned, but over centering is a 
no,no, with a new set of hammers period.  Slight under centering, you can 
always file or play in,  to fit.  <G>

Regards Roger