<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1106" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: = Verdana" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=rol= e_document face=Verdana color=#000000 size=3> <DIV>Just when I think I know what I'm doing, something small humbles me.&nb= sp; In this case, it was the damper on the tenor of the bass-tenor break.  The funny shaped one.  It's a new Kawai grand, and the customer complained of a b3 that wouldn't stop sounding after being struck lightly.  Sure enough, the tricord finger closest to the plate wouldn't= seat in because the other finger wouldn't go down far anough between the strings.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I looked for tight flange and guide rail hole, but those things were fine.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I tried string spacing, but since there are agraffes, the effect was minimal. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I did some wire bending, and that helped a little.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I did some very minor trimming of the damper to shape it so both fingers could rest equally on/between the strings.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In the end, it worked fine.  Better, in fact, than the damper on t= he A# bicord on the other side of the break...:-)  But it looks tilted, an= d not spaced quite like the other dampers.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>My thoughts are:  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I could have trimmed more of the felt.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I could learn to bend wires more effectively.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>When I look closely at most pianos, few have the funny-shaped damp= ers near the plate seat and lift the same as their neighbors. How good= should I reasonably expect to get it to look and play?  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Damped enthuiasm in CA,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Dave Stahl</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>