Lance; Just go ahead and tie down the hammers and make sure that the key upstop rail is there. if the piano has a place for a capstan block put one in or tighten the one that is there. The probability of "something" happening is not too great but the cost of repairing "something" that does happen would far outweigh any tie down costs. When I move pianos across several states I don't 'tie' down the hammers. I do cover the hammers with multiple layers of tissue paper in such a way that the hammers are in effect locked down between the backcheck and the hammer flange and move very little if at all. If the question has risen in your mind whether to tie down or not...... tie down :-) Jim Bryant (FL)
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