<font color='navy' size='2' face='Comic Sans MS, sans-serif'><font color="#000080">Thankfully.....Yamaha has been testing the Weickert felt for several years now. Ask Jack about that development.Its his story.</font><br> <br> <div style="color: navy; clear: both;"><font size="1" color="royalblue"><b><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, Serif"><font color="black"><font color="mediumblue" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif">Dale Erwin R.P.T.<br> <font color="green">Erwin's Piano Restoration Inc.</font><br> </font></font></font></b></font><font color="darkgreen"><span style="font-style: italic;"><b><font size="1"><font size="1" color="black"><font color="blueviolet"><font color="black"> <font color="black" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif">Mason & Hamlin</font><font face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif">/Steinway/</font><font color="black" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif">U.S. pianos</font><font face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif"><br> </font></font></font></font><font size="1" color="cornflowerblue" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif">www.Erwinspiano.com</font><font size="1"><br> </font><font size="1" color="crimson" face="Comic Sans MS, sans-serif">Phone: 209-577-8397</font><br> <font color="darkgreen"></font></font></b></span></font><tt><tt><font color="darkgreen"><br>  </font><br>  </tt></tt><br> </div> <div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 10pt;"><br> <div id="AOLMsgPart_1_0f2b99d0-b885-45df-a50a-09863d50ad4a"> <div class="WordSection1"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:">Allow me to add something here.  </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Del is right but the trending is in the right direction, in my view.  <font color="#dc143c">Still some work to be done but hammers are getting softer as evidenced by new Yamaha iterations, </font>some Abel hammers, Renner Blue Points.  Of course there is also Ronsen whose pressings are definitely on the softer side.  Isaac hammers are softer as well.  The maker is important but the match to the piano is more important.  </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"> </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:">Come to WestPacIII in March.  Jack Brand will give a discussion on Weikert felt and hammer making processes, and I will be giving a class on choosing hammers where not only the characteristics of hammers will be discussed but hammer matching as well.    </span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"> </span></div> <div style="color: black;"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:">David Love</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"><a href="http://www.davidlovepianos.com" target="_blank">www.davidlovepianos.com</a></span></div> </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"> </span></div> </div> </div>  </div> </font>