Dave writes: >Bill Garlick used to teach that you don't even have to worry about dip. >Setting aftertouch even - unless you have some really squirly action >problems - will give you the dip you need. I have since gone for more >like .030 of aftertouch rather than .050, but normally I don't even take >the time to set dip. Yes, Bill was my teacher at North Bennett, and at the time, we were taught to set let-off by distance measurement and dip with the blocks. I think Chris Robinson is the one that changed his mind too! As far as the amount of aftertouch, some of the high ratio actions will necessitate a greater aftertouch to prevent them from feeling shallow, and the low ratio ones will need every thousandth of key dip to get the hammer through let-off without burying the sharps. Mortise clearance on the jacks also is a parameter that comes into play on the Steinway's of the 1960-1985 vintage. The height of the sharps and how they far down they go are my usual limits on what I can set for aftertouch. Regards, Ed Foote
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC