<!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 6.00.2900.3132" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello all,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have a relatively new Steinway B that requires new back checks.  As far as I'm concerned the old ones are fine.  Someone told the pianist that "they are noisy and need replacement" and now he is convinced they are.  He never mentioned a thing until he was told this.  The power of suggestion can move mountains.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Anyway my typical procedure for removing back checks that I have been using for years is working them out with a pair of wire cutters gripping the sides with a small block of wood below.  These, however, are exceptionally stubborn.  After much frustration I tried using an upright hammer shank extractor.  That worked well but it took an enormous amount of time.  It could take over a half day to get all of them out at this rate!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Any suggestions to speed this up appreciated.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Rob Goodale, RPT</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Las Vegas, NV</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>