<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=windows-1252"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1141" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>    It's not only Samicks that use that synthetic = yellow "leather" or whatever it is.  I've seen that yellow fuzz all up and = down the regulating rail of Kawai verticals, where they used the stuff on the = catchers.  I think I've seen it on several Asian grands, from the backchecks, and in some cases from the knuckles.  </DIV> <DIV>    In the case of grand backchecks, one can smooth = the hammer tails.  But when it's grand knuckles or upright catchers = that are fuzzing everything up, I suppose the only thing to do is re-leather or re-buckskin. </DIV> <DIV>    This is sort of like the Corfam problem on Baldwins.  Except with their company-supplied kit, you just glue = the new stuff on the top of the old (vertical hammer butt leathers and = catchers).  Not sure if they ever used the stuff for grand knuckles.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>   << Another wear problem is that the = fallboard spring has ruined the felt in<BR>the slot.  I'll probably replace = the felt with leather on my next call.<BR>I ran out of time this = time>></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>`    Yes, I've seen that on almost all Yamahas = (before the slow-drop fallboard).  I just let it wear out, then before it = starts digging into the wood, replace with a tougher leather.</DIV> <DIV>    --David Nereson, RPT</DIV></BODY></HTML>