<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2912" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> Julia Gottshall</DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"> </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black">"My father who was an auto mechanic taught me a valuable lesson: dont fix what aint broke."</DIV> <DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>That's true if your piano is serving strictly a utilitarian role. If it is a performance piano (meaning any piano where good performance is desired/appreciated), then that rule breaks down quickly.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"TO test if the damper springs are still decent, press on the piano string, the damper should follow the string, if nopt the springs are shot."</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Such a procedure will not at all test the condition of the damper lever spring. It will tell you if the damper lever rod is improperly adjusted (or the sustain pedal or the damper heads themselves). If you wish to evaluate the performance of the damper lever spring, one needs to test the resistance to movement of the spring itself.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Terry Farrell</DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>