<HTML><HEAD> <META charset=US-ASCII http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; cha= rset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1106" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fffff= f"> <DIV>Ilex,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Congratulations. The Kawai 600 will make a nice piano. One general piec= e of advice I have is to get to know the piano before doing anything to it. = Bring it to pitch, tune it, and play it for a while. I don't suppose there's= much reason to wait very long on the action work, but I'd wait on the strin= gs. Yes, eventually fix the bridges, but the deterioration you're seeing wil= l make almost no difference for now, except for the top section. Even there,= find out if the strings are causing wildness problems, and how much, so you= can hear when it gets better. Get to know the characteristics of your piano= , then the differences you make will be more instructive. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Before you ease keys, make friction measurements at all rubbing or rota= ting points in the action, to make sure the friction is indeed in the keys. = If it is indeed in the keys, ease slightly with heat, or rebush. Don't go sq= uashing wholesale on the key mortices.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Wait on the strings.Get to know any weak spots in the scale. Get the ha= mmers in good shape, and the thirty-year-old strings will sound better. I ta= ke care of a couple of 600's, and if memory serves, the plate is a little so= ft, and they tend toward front duplex noise. Find out if I am right, in case= you want to do something about it at stringing time. The dampers will proba= bly serve, unless the spill got them, in which case you get to do two full d= amper adjustments for practice - one now and one when you string. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Plates aren't that hard to take out, and permit access to scrape and re= finish the board properly. If you make reference marks before the plate=  comes out, you can get it back exactly where it was, and you won't dis= turb the downbearing. Borrow a Lowell gauge and see how much bearing you hav= e, just for information.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Enjoy.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Bob Davis</DIV></BODY></HTML>