Are aluminum piano action rails better than wooden ones ?
I wouldn’t characterize one way or the other. What you need to know is that there are particular facts relevant to each. As far as wooden rails it has been my experience that they don’t require maintenance as frequently as aluminum rails. Every decade or so give or take a couple years, the screws in an action need to be checked and retightened. If they are allowed to become loose the wear on the action is exponentially accelerated. The prevalent belief is that aluminum has a different rate or expansion and contraction with seasonal changes than wood, also possibly vibrating more than a wood rail with less ability to absorb the vibration. The result means the screws that hold most of your piano’s action together, that are secured in the action rail, will receive more vibration and will loosen sooner than with wood. Please understand that this isn’t a ‘burning house’ emergency, but you know as do I that if you’ve ever shopped for a piano the issue of action rails will come up. Now you ha
