Phil: I am curious how the RC boards you heard were set up with respect to hammers. I do agree with Robin H. that the hammer style and even the shank is and can be critical to the type of tone and color that will be produced. I have had experiences with changing original shanks to Renner (keeping original hammers) on an older Steinway and noticing a difference in tone--so did the customer, by the way. With the current trend toward putting hard hammers such as Abel or Renner on rebuilt NY Steinways, how much do you think the hammer may have contributed to the fact that you were not wowed by these instruments. David Love -------------------------- David, I don't remember in all cases. I know on a few of the pianos that I saw they had used Renner shanks and Abel hammers. It could very well have contributed to my reaction to the pianos. There are so many variables to contend with in trying to make evaluations of any individual element. It would be interesting to play a piano that represents what the advocates of rib crowning believe to be a prime example of their principles put into action. Phil Ford
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