<HTML><HEAD> <META charset=US-ASCII http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1106" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"> <DIV> <DIV>Greetings,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>        Good advice below. Yes, I would check these things (hammer rail springs broken or popped out, and try to isolate the problem) as Dave mentions below. Is the piano in a humid situation? (I often ask the customer questions like was the piano recently moved? If so, from where? (a damp basement?) Then it could be the hammer's action centers the 50/50 alchohol to water would be a good bushing shrinker, if so.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>         I went to tune a reguylar customer's piano once, and the piano was sharper than when I had last tuned it AND some of the jacks and hammers were sluggish AND it was the end of winter!!!  All these things pointed to that the action under went exposure to humidity, yet, it was the end of winter, a time when the heat is on up here in the North and things should actuallly be drier, shrunken and the piano should be flatter!! </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>      So I asked if there was a humidifying situation recently, such as a major pipe burst or is she running a humidifier.  Here the lady told me she had her ceiling re-plastered and it had been very humid for about a week till the guy was done (she said he used alot of water and it had to dry) AND PLUS she had the carpet steamed cleaned when he was done!!.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>so....see...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>      Sometimes you just gotta be a detective. <U><EM><STRONG>Ask the customer questions</STRONG></EM></U>, you wouldn't believe what goes on in the lives of people. If the all signs are pointing to something, try to go with that train of logic. Ask yourself  why  why. why. This list is great for questions as well. Also, at a certain point, sometimes you just gotta trust in your knowledge, trust yourself.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Julia Gottshall</DIV> <DIV>Reading, PA</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In a message dated 6/3/2006 6:39:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, piannaman@aol.com writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"> <DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Check for tightness in any parts, not just flanges.  It could be in the sticker guide rail bushings as well.  Or, as John Ross suggested, there may be hammer return springs broken.  They come off when we  pull dropped mutes out of the action.  When that happens, most of us put them back in the slot most of the time....</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV> <DIV>Isolate the different functions to check for sluggishness.  AFter awhile you'll be able to diagnose things fairly quickly.</DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>