[CAUT] Steinway hammers with pre-voicing solution

[Jeff Tanner]

On Thursday, May 12, 2005, at 05:14 PM, Kent Swafford wrote:

> I inquired with Steinway a couple weeks ago about buying a set of 
> hammers with no "pre-voicing" solution added and they claimed they 
> sell only hammers that have been lacquered.
>
> A few years ago I had a great success with putting hammers on a piano 
> and leaving them with no voicing solution of any kind. The particular 
> concert pianist involved is one of the few guys left, I think, who 
> likes mellow pianos. He really was thrilled.
>
> Anyway, I did not pursue the matter with Steinway. Has anyone here 
> done so? The "pre-voicing" seems to me to be a fairly heavy 
> lacquering. Can lacquer-free hammers be had at all from Steinway?
>
> (I ended up ordering Ronsens.)
>
>
> Kent Swafford
>
> __________


I've asked this question a couple times, and have gotten the same 
answer both times from different Steinway reps.

They do not pre-voice replacement hammers.  They lacquer around the 
staple and that's it.  The rest of it is up to you.    (In fact, they 
also leave factory finished pianos somewhat unfinished so that the 
dealer can do final voicing (juicing) based on the venue the piano 
would be sold to.)  I was also told we get exactly the same 
hammers/parts that are used in the factory and by the C&A techs.  
Nothing is different.

My predecessor told me he used to be able to order Steinway hammers 
pre-voiced as mellow, medium, or bright.  Shannon told me she'd never 
heard of that.

Ed, from the demonstrations I've seen at Steinway classes done by C&A 
techs, heavy lacquering is done on the shoulders and allowed to seep 
deep into the hammer and over into the crown.  But from those same 
classes it was explained that not every C&A tech does it the same way.

In those classes they teach that the New York Steinway hammer was never 
used without a reinforcing solution, and there's no way to get the New 
York Steinway sound without lacquer, not now or any time in the past.  
Keytops are not used in the factory, but C&A techs will use a drop on 
the crown on occasion.

Jeff

Jeff Tanner, RPT
School Of Music
University of South Carolina