<HTML style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: MS Sans Serif"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1251"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2668" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <P> <DIV>My personal PTN (Piano Tuner's Nightmare) is a Samick SG-172.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>This little grand is fairly new, resides in a nice church, is played a lot, holds it's tune quite well (such as it is), and shrieks like a wounded calliope.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It is NOT a lively room but I HAVE to wear earplugs on 8vas 5-7 to protect my ears. Yes, voicing down the petrified hammers would help immensely, but they don't have the budget.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The real problem is horrific wild strings. I can seat them and gently tap the pins, etc., and get an immediate improvement on any given string. Then, when I tune the piano, they all come screaming (literally) back to life. Their like evil zombies or something.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If I could take the piano home, I'd pull some bridge pins and epoxy-swab the holes before putting them back in. I'd do a full regulation with string leveling, hammer fitting, etc. But I'm not sure even that would help.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>And the darned thing takes much longer to tune than I even want to hang around and listen to it. And doesn't sound all that great even in the best of tune.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Any Samick-experienced people have ideas.  (Attention Listers: For every silly idea, you are required to submit at least one serious idea.)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Alan Barnard</DIV> <DIV>Salem, Missouri</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>P.S. The spell checker thinks "Samick" should be "amuck," or "smack," or "smuck"  ... they all sound about right.</DIV></BODY></HTML>