Yamaha fallboard damper

[Mark Dierauf]

  A customer with a late model C7 had a recent visitor to his studio who 
tried his piano. When he had finished, he went to close the fallboard 
and, apparently having never seen a damped fallboard, tried to force it 
closed. Now, although the damping mechanism seems to work correctly, the 
fallboard actually rests against the case stretcher when in the open 
position, and this contact buzzes badly at B4 on a fortissimo blow. I 
checked the dampers and the cheek hardware, but couldn't see anything 
amiss. Is this mechanism supposed to keep the fallboard from touching 
the stretcher, or is that the job of the nameboard felt on the back of 
the cheekblocks? The customer swears that it was never a problem before 
his guest tried to force the fallboard closed.

- Mark