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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>> Jude,<BR>> <BR>> Main problems
are: 1) Wippen rail needs to be relieved to clear <BR>> bottome
of wippen, otherwise the rail holds the wippen up off of the <BR>>
capstain. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG>Yes, that is correct. I ran my rail
through the talesaw at an appropraite angle to get the relief. I then had to
build up the risers for the bolts that attach the rail to the brackets. Luckily
I foresaw this so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience. </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>2) The Wippen has a cast-in boss for assist
springs, which <BR>> interferes with the hammer tail. We'll have to cut
off the spring <BR>> boss. They suggested coving out the hammer a
little more, but we'd <BR>> rather have reliable checking.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG>As a general practice I like to custom bore
my hammers to account for the string height indescrepencies (and yes this
throws off any ideal geometric design). I cut the tails to be consistent
throughout the whole set (generally 1") and I also cut my own coves. The inside
bottom edge of the hammer tail is also sanded down for weight control and
clearance, and I believe this is what you will find on all hammers that have
been prepped by the hammer manufacturer. Since this edge is on the other
side of the backcheck, it has nothing to do with checking. I believe you''re
referring to the radius of the tail. WNG is introducing a jig for
arcing tails along with their process of installing backchecks, which
appropriately marries the two along with the strikeline. I've beta-tested their
system and am happy to report that it's the best method out there for
achieving reliably tight checking at all dynamics.</STRONG> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>3) Let-off button adjustment will be <BR>>
nearly bottomed out - we'll need to replace with longer
buttons. </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>4) <BR>> Drop screws will
be turned down so low they'll be buried - we'll have to <BR>> install thicker
cushion on the rep lever. As to the suggestion to check <BR>> the
action spread, can't increase it because of the spring boss - hammer <BR>>
tail interference, and can't decrease it or the jack tender will be off <BR>>
the edge of the let-off button. I'll try to find the photos. We've
<BR>> test regulated samples of black WNG, new Renner, and the original WNG
parts<BR>> in all possible combinations, and the black WNG wippens cause
problems <BR>> in any combination, while the original WNG wippens work best
and the <BR>> Renner wippens are acceptable.<BR>> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG>That's an interesting one. If you
can't get longer buttons I think you can get longer screws. Steinway has about
five or six different options for let-off button sizes. It all comes down to
geometry. On my Mason A, we made a new balancerail and custom built the keyboard
to match the parts on the topstack. This isn't always an option so you have to
figure out what's going to work. Have you checked out the "magic line" at half
stroke? This is a new product and let's face it, you're the guinea pig. Me
too, so welcome to the club. You can go for it and do what you gotta do to
make it work and feel the gratification for pulling it off, or you can go
with a standard part that you've already verified is going to
work with minimal fuss, it's<FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> <FONT
face=Arial size=2>y</FONT></FONT>our call. IMHO I can deal with the whippen rail
modification and the let-off buttons but I don't like what I'm hearing about the
drop screws. Something's wrong with the geometry. Can you provide specs for
regulation, center heights (rep & hammer), string heights, hammer bore
distance, and hammer center to strike?<BR></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG></STRONG></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG>Jude</STRONG></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>