<!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 6.00.5730.11" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV> <DIV>In a message dated 2/1/2007 9:17:15 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, Bruce.Stevens@verizon.net writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Dale, <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>It's rather interesting that the Yamaha felt wasn't as hard as you might think.  In fact, when I weighed the Yamaha hammers comparing them to the Ronsen's, that I prepped, the weight wasn't that much different.  Somewhere in Yamaha's process, they started pressing the felt harder and harder.  Whatever the difference, the bloom of the tone is spectacular!  Yes, it must have a working soundboard.</DIV> <DIV>Bruce<BR> <DIV> <DIV>On Feb 1, 2007, at 8:48 AM, <A title=mailto:Erwinspiano@aol.com href="mailto:Erwinspiano@aol.com">Erwinspiano@aol.com</A> wrote:</DIV><BR class=Apple-interchange-newline> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV> <DIV><A title=mailto:Bruce.Stevens@verizon.net href="mailto:Bruce.Stevens@verizon.net">Bruce.Stevens@verizon.net</A> writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Dale gets my full agreement on his use of the Ronsen hammer with Bacon felt.  I just completed a change of hammers on a Yamaha S-400B using the Bacon felt and I believe it is one of the most beautiful sounding instruments I have ever heard.  I would welcome any of my colleagues to hear this piano. <DIV>The only thing I have done to the felt is to give the hammers a hard shaping and the tone is spectacular.  </DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>Regards,</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>Bruce Stevens</DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV>  <STRONG><EM>Bruce this is good to hear & have confirmed by others. Wow an S-400.  I thought that piano needed hard hammers!.  OH...it must have a working soundboard....grin</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Dale <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT lang=0 face="Book Antiqua" size=2 family="SERIF" ptsize="10"><B><I></I>Dale Erwin--Piano Restorations<BR>4721 Parker rd<BR>Modesto, Ca. 95357<BR>Shop 209-577-8397<BR>cell 209-985-0990<BR></B></FONT><B><FONT lang=0 face="Abadi MT Condensed" color=#000000 size=2 family="SANSSERIF" ptsize="10">Web site <A title=http://www.erwinspiano.com/ href="http://www.erwinspiano.com/">http://www.Erwinspiano.com</A> </FONT><FONT lang=0 face="Book Antiqua" color=#000000 size=2 family="SERIF" ptsize="10"><I><BR>Restoration & Sales of<BR>Steinway & Sons & other fine pianos.<BR>" Soundboards by Design"</I><BR></FONT></B></DIV></EM></STRONG></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>