Drop

[A440A@aol.com]

Bradley writes: 
>Can someone please help me better understand drop? I understand all the
>basics; what I would like know is what can be gained or sacrificed with
>slight deviations from the standard. My question relates specifically to
>concert level pianos.
 
   The drop must be set so that the hammer cannot be propelled into the 
string after escapement.  For the highest level work, that will be at the 
same point as a minimum let-off distance, which I set as close as possible to 
the strings maximum excursion zone.  


>At this point I am just setting the drop so that repetition arm touches
>the drop screw at the same time that the jack tender touches the letoff
>button.

This is an elegant result of everything being right, but what if your jacks 
have to be a little more  distal because of some other factors, (such as 
knuckle condition or chamfer?).  After the keydip, hammer blow, and let-off 
are set, you can set your drop screws to allow the hammer to rest at let-off 
distance. I believe this allows the most controllable escapement possible.
Ed Foote RPT