RE Aftertouch

[Kenneth Sloane]

                      Subject:                              Time:  1:29 PM
  OFFICE MEMO         RE Aftertouch                         Date:  8/25/95

--------------ORIGINAL POST-----------------

> By the way, when I was at the Steinway factory training in June under the
> guidance of Scott Jones, I shimmed up my dip block to .042, (if my memory
> serves me correctly), the new recommended speck for NY pianos.  He said that
> they've found, (as others on pianotech have commented,) that the players
> don't notice the difference or complain a'tall.  Of course the Hamburg speck
> remains .040, (another memory disclaimor -- who looks up the numbers
> regularly anyway?  just get it to function, rarely even pull the block out,
)
> and I find it interesting that this corresponds to the differences
elaborated
> on by David Stanwood regarding lower leverage and higher leverage shank/
> knuckle dimensions.  Parallel evolution.
>
> Audrey Karabinus,   Seattle

-------------------REPLY--------------------

Re differences elaborated by Stanwood corresponding to Steinway new specs: You
may be aware of this, but the increase in dip for Steinway is because of their
switching to a high leverage shank. In fact, they have been using a high
leverage shank since '84. Their actions since '84, however, (unlike european
counterparts) often did not require lots of dip if the key ratio was less than
2:1. I don't know if they have switched, yet, to the unified action where the
key ratio will be fixed at 2:1.

Ken Sloane, Oberlin Conservatory