<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2722" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: = Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=rol= e_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV>Dear Michael (and probably the majority of UK Technicians),</DIV> <DIV>Isn't this Spurlocktools site a revelation???</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Did we know of these specialist pieces of equipment?  The dam= per cutting guide, the hammer hanging guide? etc etc.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I have felt pretty ashamed of the narrow-minded and parochial UK approach to piano technology for a long time.  Since subscribing to the= Piano Technicians' Journal a couple of years ago (although I have known of i= ts existence for many years) I have come to realise how backward we are in the = UK when it comes to new ideas and approaches to many basic techniques.  It= makes me very annoyed that we have been so heavily influenced by the 'Old Gu= ard' approach which has involved  'apprenticeships' in grubby family-owned workshops where there has been no interest in new ideas or any sense of movi= ng forward. </DIV> <DIV>There may have been a parallel situation in USA in the past, but t= here is no doubt that the USA piano scene is far more healthy than ours.  I could go on, and on, and on about this,  but I will restrain myself.&nb= sp; </DIV> <DIV>However, I do believe in dumping the muting strip as soon as possi= ble for laying the bearings.</DIV> <DIV>Sorry about that!!!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>ric</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>