In a message dated 1/4/00 6:12:47 PM Pacific Standard Time, lau@mda.ca (John Lau) writes: << I have a 5 yr old Steinway upright (model 1098) with a heavy touch and a lack of dynamic range. (snip) The piano is in good shape and is well cared for. The only exception is that the action rail bows towards the front (looking down from top). At the maximum, it's about 3/16 to 1/4 in from a straight line drawn between the two ends. This is confirmed by looking at the rub marks the capstains contact the wipens. Does anyone has ideas what the problem is? Any solutions/suggestion? >> Your last observation is the clue. Do the end keys feel more normal? Does the touch weight gradually get heavier towards the middle? If so, the bow you see must be creating a leverage (geometry) problem that shouldn't be there. If the capstan is under a different place on the wippen pad in the middle than it is on the ends, then the leverage and therefore the touchweight will be different, respectively. This may be a warranty problem. It sounds like something very unusual. Therefore, it may be in everyone's best interest, the manufacturer, the dealer, yourself, the usual technician and the customer to have someone with a lot of Steinway expertise to look at it and suggest a repair method or replacement of the action frame. Regards, Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin
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