In the posts I've read about Crescendo vs. "squishy" punchings, there are a couple of points I haven't seen discussed. One is that I assume the Crescendo punching will retain its initial compressibility characteristic longer than the "squishy" one. That seems to be a good thing wrt how long the regulation will last. I know technicians who pre-compress front rail punchings (and balance rail punchings, too) on a bolt, clamped between two washers in order to start out with a more stable punching. I like to start out with thinner punchings for the same reason. If the Crescendo is too firm for pianists' comfort or too noisy, then something approaching its stability can be achieved with more standard punchings like Pianotek's (which I like). The other thing is that it seems to me that the most critical consideration in setting keydip is to make it play reliably at ppp level. As David Love pointed out, experienced technicians develop a consistency of touch that is independent, I think, of the compressibility of the punching. At any rate, that is what I strive for. Whatever standard of pressure I choose, I am most concerned with how it plays at ppp. Do you buy that? Bob Anderson Tucson, AZ
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