Korean Dip

[pianoguru at cox.net]

I met the owner of a Chinese piano company who flatly insisted that key dip should be 11.5mm, 11mm at the very least.  He further displayed his technical ignorance by implying that this was a universal standard for all pianos, and it didn't matter how the action was designed, or what the geometric relationship might be.  To be fair, he is not an engineer or technician, but as the owner of the company, he is the one who ultimately calls the shots.  Well, I own the guy a favor, so I'll just let it go at that.

There are those who still insist that key dip is sacred, and if everything else doesn't come out right, ... well, blame it on whoever designed the action and keyset.  If there is anything universe about key dip, it is that 10mm or a healthy 3/8" is a good starting point.  The fact is, you've got what you got.  If it is your job to squeeze the best performance out of the action that you can, you have to decide which set of compromises yield the best results.

Frank Emerson