Feltmakers vs. Hammermakers

[Delwin D Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Carol R. Beigel" <crbrpt@bellatlantic.net>
To: <caut@ptg.org>
Sent: January 11, 2001 9:33 AM
Subject: Re: Feltmakers vs. Hammermakers


> So Del, what kind of hammers do YOU recommend on Steinway grands, and
> Japanese uprights?
>
> Carol Beigel
---------------------------------------

Carol,

On the Steinway grands we remanufacture -- that is, with new and redesigned
boards and scales -- we use mostly Isaacs, Ronsen or, believe it or not,
Steinway hammers.

Our criteria is that they be relatively soft, i.e., not dense. There are
problems with all of them. Isaacs tends to leave way to much felt down on
the shoulders which has to be laboriously removed, but the end result is
exceptionally good. These are probably our first choice for Model A's and
larger. I like Ronsen because they are nicely resilient. I don't like their
shape much and their consistency is always a problem. You never know just
what you are going to get from them. But, when you get a good set, they are
really great. I like these on smaller pianos especially.

For me, personally, I would use Steinway hammers. Ordered without any
factory work done to them at all. I.e., just as they come from the press.
That way I can be sure they are reasonably symmetrical and not shaped to
shape. In my opinion, Steinway has the capability of making one of the best
hammers around today. They use excellent felt and their press work is
reasonably good when the press operator is careful to center the felt strip
over the caul properly and then keep it centered through the press cycle.
It's what they do to their hammers after they press them that is the
problem.  Their quality control -- consistency -- does leave much to be
desired, but what do you expect for the price? Still, when cleaned up and
sanded -- not 'shaped!' -- and needled down just a bit, they make beautiful
sounds.

No, we do not saturate them with either lacquer or keytops. As I've said
before, if the soundboard is well matched to the scale and is working well,
hard/dense hammers are not only not necessary, they are an impediment to
good piano tone. Hence, we find that we usually have to needle Steinway
hammers; Ronsen's and Isaacs' too, for that matter. If anything gets
lacquered at all it is in the top four to six hammers in the treble and I
apologize to them as I do it.

We also try other hammers from time to time. Right we have a set of Abel
hammers on a Steinway A3 we've just finishing up. The sound was initially so
hard and strident we very nearly took them off and replaced them. Since we
figured there was nothing to lose, we tried saturating them with alcohol and
water. Yes, I do mean saturating them -- right to the core and then some
more. They puffed up and I sanded them back down to their original size,
tried them in the piano and then did it again. The puffed up some more --
though not as much -- and I sanded them back down again. Tried them in the
piano and did it a third time. Again, they puffed up, though this time just
a little. I then sanded them down one more time and I was just about there.
(By the way, during this time touch weight went from approximately 62 to 64
grams downweight down to 52 to 54 grams downweight with the original key
leading -- three towards the end of the key through the bass.) A bit of
needling through the tenor and first treble section brought it nicely in
line. And yes, it is still bright enough. It has since been used twice in
small recitals, once in a large ski lodge with an audience of about 200 and
then in a large hotel banquet room with an audience of approximately 500. In
neither case was any amplification needed, nor would it have been desirable
or appropriate. The piano is quite loud enough and bright enough on its own,
thank you very much. (It's also now for sale, in case anybody is
interested!)

I've not used Renner hammers for some years. They make a very nice looking
hammer and one that seems to be quite consistent. So consistent that I had
to take off and replace the last three sets we used. I simply couldn't bring
them down enough to make them work. If they have softened up any, I'd love
to hear some personal experiences. (No, I've not tried the alcohol/water
treatment on Renner hammers. I'll not try it again on Abel hammers either.
I'll just not use Abel hammers on our remanufactured pianos. They might well
work better on pianos using original soundboards -- I've no recent
experience there.)

Regards,

Del