<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1106" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no href="mailto:Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no">Richard Brekne</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> June 07, 2003 1:06 = PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Hammer assist = spring ?</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV>  <P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><FONT color=#000080>This is the part = that intrigues me. The ability to set very close letoff and the ability to = control the action at pianissimo levels.</FONT></FONT> <DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><FONT color=#000080>This, to me, = is the greatest limitation of the so-called "modern" grand action......</FONT></FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><FONT color=#000080></FONT></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE="CITE"> <P dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><FONT color=#cc6600>Boy = do I aggree with this. Kind of appropriate that this comes up right now as well = as I have just run into a pianist / piano combiniation that quite = obviously requires of me a level of pppp and control of that which I simply = can not regulate into the piano. I can push all the borders to the limit and = it still isnt going to satisfy him. He really needs soft springy = mallets. :)</FONT></FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><FONT color=#cc6600></FONT></FONT> <P dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><FONT color=#cc6600>I = have been thinking of  moving the capstan line in just abit. This would = drop the ratio a bit giving less hammer / shank speed for same amount of key = motion. It would also lessen DW tho... which could well serve to give the = opposite effect I want... but I'm tempted anyways. Besides... just happens = that the capstans on this Seiler grand are too loose = anyways.</FONT></FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><FONT color=#cc6600></FONT></FONT> <P dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><FONT color=#cc6600>What = do you think ?</FONT></FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" = color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>I think you = can try all that stuff but it won't make up for the fact that the grand action is up-striking and you can only set let-off so close to the string. From = that point on the hammer goes into free-flight and you must have attained = sufficient hammer velocity to carry the hammer through this distance and still impact the = strings with enough force to make meaningful sound. It's just very difficult for = the pianist to do this with consistent control.</FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" = color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>The vertical = action, by contrast, does not have to fight gravity for those last couple of = millimeters of flight. (The Fandrich Vertical Action was (is?) regulated with let-off = at about 1.5 mm.)</FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" = color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>So, when I = hear some say some grand action design can be regulated with let-off right up to = within 1 mm of the string line I at least want to give the thing some thought. And = one of those thought is, "I wonder how this thing would work with a nice graphite-filled ABS or Nylon jack?"</FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" = color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" = color=#000080>Regards,</FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" = color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>Del</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>