<HTML>.<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> At 6:09 AM +0000 5/22/02, Stephen Airy wrote: >I would like to know what brands of bass strings, tuning pins, treble >wire, and hammers you all would recommend.  I have something in the >ballpark of $500 to $525 to spend.  I would be willing to wait a little >on the hammers in order to get better strings.  However, most of the >hammers are badly worn, with some hammers in the bass section having >grooves as deep as the strings are thick.  Also, what are the prices of >those brands?  I've heard people complain about Mapes, but I've heard >good things about Arledge bass strings.  It also seems Sanderson makes >strings, and (I forget, is it Abel or Isaac something?).  The brands of >hammers I would be considering would probably be Renner or Ronsen.  I >haven't heard enough about Abel to make a judgment. </BLOCKQUOTE>Bill writes <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">     Quite frankly, Stephen, I think that labor is going to have a much bigger effect on the outcome of the work, than will the unequivocally best choice of materials. Which is not to say that you are doomed from the start, but to suggest that this being your first piece of piano work, the thing which you may want to re-do (sooner or later, again depending on the outcome) is not the choice of parts, but rebuilding steps.</BLOCKQUOTE>   Hi   Bill     >..Mostly I agree with this except that a lousy set of bass strings is not correctable except by replacing it with a quality set. No amount of voicing will undo false beats or a muddy tone. >>>>>>>>Regards       Dale Erwin <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> Let there be no shame in this, on the contrary you have before you an excellent learning experience. But your focus should be on how you're going to do the work rather than where you're going to buy the parts. Bill Ballard RPT NH Chapter, P.T.G. "By using your intelligence, you can sometimes make your problems twice as complicated."      ........... Ashleigh Brilliant +++++++++++++++++++++</BLOCKQUOTE> </HTML>