<!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 6.00.2900.2668" 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> <DIV>   Sounds like it you first close encounter with the Steinway= Plate wedge.  Make sure it gets back where it belongs before the string= tension goes on. Yes, It's important!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>    Dale</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><= FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size= =2> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello all</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This close-up shows a metal shim which fe= ll out of a place between the "dam" and the underside "nose" of the plate on my S&S 'A' . I stood it on the soundboard near its normal location. I can= only hazzard its use as being intended to convey the pressure of the fully strung piano from the web to the dam and sound board. Any other idea= s? It is about 1/4" thick. You can see the gap into which it fits. It was nor= glued in place - should it be? I doubt it as the glue would give a deadness and tend to be elastic in situ. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Now all the strings are off, the soundboa= rd gives a healthy bass "thwummm" of G# 0 @ A=431 when tapped with a fingers on t= he bass bridge. Having vacuumed off all the debris of ninety years I am about= to gently wash the plate and soundboard with a damp cloth from a bowl of wate= r with washing up liquid in.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards from a Sunday afternoon where the= village church bells have just finished pealing.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Michael G.(UK)</FONT></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>