<!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 6.00.2800.1276" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello Terry F</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In your post re:the modern grand damper = system: I wholeheartedly agree with the pain of having to extract the action and = crawl into a dark cavity in order to adjust those wretched damper-lever = wire-block grub-screws. (Wow! what a long-winded name for such a little thing!) = There are all sorts of damper actions and grand actions out there - the = results of manufacturers experiments - take the old Erard grand with its = bi-furcated hammer shank. Through the slot in this shank a splined metal tongue protruded = from the whippen (lever) to act as a check! I think it was also them who had the = dampers and damper unit under the grand strings. Comes out completely as a unit = - damper heads, action and all. I even tune a very old grand - almost a square = grand - where the hammers hit the strings from above and so the damper unit is = also above the strings - just as you are thinking of Terry. With the hammer = action under the strings there will always have to be a connection to the = dampers over the strings. The only thought I can produce is that there should be a = further "pivotal lever" attached to the Whippen in order to reverse the action = and push up the damper wire. The simplest damper action will, of course, be found = in the Fortepiano.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards and deep thoughts about = changing the piano world from Sunny Sussex in the Downlands.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Michael G = (UK)</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>