Further to the question of nickel plating on the threaded portion of the pin, I have some Yamaha pins, which are of course nickel because that is the only kind they make, and I compared them to the Diamond pins. Both are unblued and both look the same in the threaded portion and the transitional areas. If Diamond is plated on the threaded portion, Yamaha appears to be as well. From what I can see and from the way they perform, however, I think it is the opposite, i.e. that the threads are bare steel. I suppose it would help their image if they were painted blue, but I don't know why they aren't. Having said that, of course, I don't consider nickel superior to blued or vice versa. As far as I'm concerned, it's a entirely a matter of taste. Piano manufacturers seem to prefer nickel these days, where in the past they didn't. Paul Larudee
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