<HTML style="FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: AGaramond Bold"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1251"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1522" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <P> <DIV>Jurgen said: "<FONT size=+0>Hello Joe,</FONT> <DIV><FONT size=+0>I am aware that Schimmel used a white felt front rail punching in the </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>1990s. I'm not sure who manufactured that felt. Perhaps you have </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>some information on that. Otherwise, you may be jumping to </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>conclusions to assume that any firm, white 6 mm thick felt is made by </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>Wurzen or is indeed the Crescendo felt.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>The Crescendo Punching felt has only been available for a few years. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>Since then, there have been some changes made to the formulation of the </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>felt to yet improve on the quality and resilience.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>I am no expert on felt - felt making is a world unto itself. But I </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>have been studying the subject and am gaining some insights into the </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>complexity and diversity of felt production. Contrary to what you </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>write, the Crescendo felt is not "hard/firm pressed". Rather, it gets </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>its density through a proprietary method of "fulling" which involves </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>agitation of the felt fleeces while using special lubricants to attain </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>a deep interlocking of the wool fibers. This way, you get a firm felt </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>with a lot of natural resilience of the wool fiber.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>This is what sets this special felt apart from other felts, which use </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>heat and pressure and sometimes steam to attain density and firmness. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>A by-product of that process is hardness. Resilience is lost, for the </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>most part. This leads to a knocking sound when used is an application </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>such as a front rail punching.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>I am constantly getting feedback from technicians who are amazed that </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>Crescendo punchings can give such a defined key dip and aftertouch yet </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>still cut back on key noise. Just today I heard about about an </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>accomplished player who perceived the touch as "softer" after the old, </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>mushy punchings had been replaced by Crescendos. Perception is in the </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>fingers/ears of the pianist, of course, so who is to argue?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>I suggest replacing the original Schimmel front rail punchings with </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>Crescendos and try them out.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>Just my biased view <G></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>Jurgen Goering</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=+0>Piano Forte Supply</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>Jurgen,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>Thank you for the info and insight.<G> One of the things I looked for, when inspecting the Schimmel punchings, was whether they were tapered. They were not. I just thought that, perhaps, it was an older version of the current Wurzen front rail punchings aka Crescendo. With the information you have given me, I suspect this was an experiment on the part of Schimmel, long before our beloved Crescendo Punchings were developed.<G></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>In any event, I'm going to change out the "Hard" punchings for something similar to the M&H punchings, as the client is happy with the "feel" she gets on the M&H. Personally, I'd opt for the Crescendos, but it's likely the client would be a bit wary of something that looks so much like the ones that are giving her fits.<G></FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV>Best Regards,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Joe Garrett, R.P.T. (Oregon)</DIV> <DIV>Captain, Tool Police</DIV> <DIV>Squares R I</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <P></P></BODY></HTML>