[CAUT] Steinway hammer spec.

Craig_Waldrop Craig_Waldrop at baylor.edu
Tue Jun 6 15:13:13 MDT 2006


Dave,

You are correct about the measurement from centerline-to-centerline.  To be
precise on the angled hammers one would have to measure both sides and
calculate the difference (nit-picking or splitting hairs).  Five inches is
awfully short; I doubt that there would be much impact to moving the bass
hammers out.  I did run into a new Stwy. B a couple of years ago that had
hammers glued at 5-1/16² all the way across.  I actually put new spare
shanks on the bass and tenor sections and glued hammers on further out,
because I was getting some really odd harmonics.  I tried just moving the
frame in at the bass side but it actually made a noticeable gap in front
(wide at bass to very narrow at no.88).  They worked great where they were
in the treble sections.  Moving the hammers out in the bass end did
strengthen the fundamental, but can cause hammer spacing and alignment
problems.

Sounds like a good idea to glue on samples and test for proper intonation.
Remember to check the tolerance between the front of the keyboard (and key
fronts with key depressed) and the key slip, so you will know how much
adjustment you can make with the end-block plates (re-positioning the
keyboard).  One of the nice things about piano work, always something to
challenge the old noodle, eh my friend?

Good Luck!

Craig


Craig Waldrop, RPT
Baylor School of Music
Craig_waldrop at baylor.edu


On 6/6/06 2:43 PM, "Porritt, David" <dporritt at mail.smu.edu> wrote:

> I know that Steinway glues their hammers to the shanks at 5-1/8². Where is
> that measured???  I had always thought it was from the center pin to the
> mid-line of the hammer.  I¹m putting on new hammers on a D and the treble
> hammers are 5² from center pin to mid-line, and it tapers to even shorter at
> the bass end.  
>  
> I¹m going to leave the treble hammers at 5² or I¹ll run into action placement
> problems, however the tails of the bass hammers are pretty close to the wippen
> (OK repetition!) and I¹d like to move them out to be the same as the treble
> hammers.  Can anyone see a problem waiting to happen here?  In the morning
> (when the key bushing glue is dry) I¹m going to dry fit samples to try them
> but I thought I¹d check with the combined wisdom of the list.
>  
> Thanks! 
>  
> dave
>  
> __________________________
> David M. Porritt, RPT
> Meadows School of the Arts
> Southern Methodist University
> Dallas, TX 75275
> dporritt at smu.edu <mailto:dporritt at smu.edu>
>  
> 


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