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<DIV><FONT size=3> Hi List </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> I've used the Abel shanks & flang=
es for
quite a few years for Steinway , Mason & Hamlin & Others with excell=
ent
results. I have found the quality ,geometry & the maple made parts to be=
very consistent. excellent pinning, traveling. The overall=
wood machining is very crisp & the knuckles are really nice. Firm &
round. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> Customer service is always
responsive. Whenever I've been the first one to make a
suggestion to the Brooks limited folks or notice an anomaly, I don't get the=
"we
never heard of that before". Or "nobody's else has complained of this
yet". But, <STRONG>when I am</STRONG> first to notice something th=
e
response is always a genuine concern to fix the problem & they got
fixed! That's personal service.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> I find the Abel parts to be as good as=
any
parts out there. I enjoy the complete shank sets being a bit thinned
to more closely resemble the weight & strength charachteristics of=
the
original Maple shanks offered bySteinway & Mason &( Others as well).=
This also makes burn in way easier & adds less shank weight to the strik=
e
weight. The flanges fit the rails well & initial amounts of traveling is=
normal. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> I recently installed set of the new Abel St=
einway
wippens. I experienced very little traveling & beautiful smooth
repitition lever tops which means minimum amounts of friction with=
the
knuckle. The all maple parts are closer to the original weight of the =
OEM
Steinway parts.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> The pinning is excellent. Overall it's a beautifu=
l
part. For me One very happy advantage is that it has an original type
butterfly repetition spring which is easy to adjust as were the old style
wippens. Also these wippens held side by side with the originals =
are
right on the money. The jack angle/ profile & jack height is the s=
ame
as oem as is the repitition tower & center pin placement. The=
over all height of the wippen is just slightly taller. &nbs=
p;
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> Now if they start coming with interchangeab=
le
heels then everyone will love this. If you haven't tried these, I=
highly recommend them especially in light of the troubles the OEM parts have=
had . It's always good to have more parts suppliers & selection
available to the trade. Competition is good for the industry</FONT></DI=
V>
<DIV><FONT size=3> Hey, Just remember how it was 15 years ago.&=
nbsp;
we had lousy parts & not much selection. Today we have several suppliers=
which offer excellent parts. We have it good , don't you think? Any body els=
e
use these yet..... & why not?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> Cheers</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> Dale Erwin</FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>