Ted: Others have given you some help in trying to deal with this problem, and they are all good. One more idea comes to mind. Mice, and other creatures inside the piano, tend to want to run up these strings, because they are the first ones, and the easiest, to get to from the bottom of the piano. Although you might not see it, they are probably coroded. If this is the case, the only solution are new strings. If this, and the other solutions, don't take care of the problem, then perhaps the manufacturer is right. Poor scale design, poor engeneering, and poor workmanship results in a poor sounding piano. Willem Blees RPT St. Louis
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