Yamaha voicing

[dforman]

List,
We had a Yamaha C&A technician here at WCC the past two days voicing and 
regulation a CFIII we have. The offical Yamaha position (from him) is not to 
steam voice Yamaha hammers. He filed and shaped the hammers, then needled 
close, but not at, the crown. Mostly shallow needling is all that is needed 
there. Also,you might have to  deep needle the shoulders at 10-11 o'clock ten 
to fifteen times to round out the sound. Try one to see if it makes a 
difference.  I voiced a section with him watching, and this way worked very 
well, and was farily easy. Just make sure the hammers are well shaped. Use 
60-80 grit garnet paper ( I think that's what it's called). Do not shoeshine 
the hammer crown with fine paper-that will contribute to a bright sound. Check 
the voicing string by string, and make sure the pinning is not too loose. 
These are the procedures used on our CFIII, and it made a big difference in 
the sound. 
Dave Forman
Westminster Choir College