CAUT

Hi Gang:

As I get up to speed in the university setting, and more familiar with S&S (I'm a Yamaha/Bösi man) I'm getting crazy loud clicks from knuckles and drop screw cushions, but not on the same pianos. 

The hammers and whippens on these pianos look fine, though most of the hammers need some reshaping. 

I'm  trying to do an on the fly cost benefit analysis. For $200 in parts and a day's labor I suppose replacing a knuckle seems to make sense. But outside of the occasional knuckle replacement over the years, I have never replaced  a complete set.

I did pull one of the weapons and replace the drop screw cushion with new buckskin and what a surprise… It's now silent. A set of weapons is closer to $1500'ish I believe off the top of my head. 

For those of you who have done both approaches or considered both approaches which way do you generally go? The action on one  Steinway D from 1927 has a new'ish action and key buttons and loud drop cushions. 

Another  is a 1960's era D also with a new'ish action but I'd swear someone dipped the knuckles in CA glue they're so hard. 

Edit: drop screw buckskin is super easy to replace. Makes me look like a wizard. 

Thanks in advance,

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Vincent Chambers

Apollo Piano | Stanford
San Francisco, Chico CA
(530) 924-4469 Mobile; 732-642-1100
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I have replaced sets of knuckles, but I have not had occasion to replace drop cushions.  I think the answer is to follow the results of your diagnosis.  Where replacing the drop cushions eliminates the problem, don't worry about the knuckles, unless it is clear that replacing them would further improve the action.  If your knuckles on the other piano are are rock hard, replace them, and deal with drop cushions only if a clear reason presents itself for doing so.