Chris and all, I was just composing a similar post in my mind when I read Chris' post below. I too have had far fewer strike-point issues since I have been calibrating strikeweights and have wondered for a while about the relationship between soundboard stiffness, hammer mass/hardness, and strikepoint. As a case in point, I've recently finished a Precision Touch Design on a private client's Steinway D which had a crazy hammerline dip (it looked like Alan's picture) at the beginning of the first capo section which was the result of a previous technician's efforts to shore up a weakness in that area. I looked at the V-bar termination and the bridge and saw no reason for such a maneuver...everything was nice and straight and even. So when I hung the new hammers I kept the hammerline nice and straight as well and lo and behold, there were no strikepoint issues. I am interested in experimenting with the riblets and soundboard weights that have been in the news lately and how that technique will interact with hammer mass adjustments. It is my guess that this will eliminate some strikepoint issues as well. Eric Eric Wolfley, RPT Director of Piano Services College-Conservatory of Music University of Cincinnati -----Original Message----- From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Chris Solliday Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 1:23 AM To: College and University Technicians Subject: Re: [CAUT] hammer line Jim and Alan, You guys have probably thought of this but I thought I'd mention it anyway because I haven't seen it as part of this thread. Calibrating the strikeweight from at least note 52 up before assessing the hammerline makes what you hear make more sense. I glue my line on straight with a calibrated strike weight, after sorting shanks by weight, and then I seem to have less need to vary the strikeline. I don't have any hard data from the way I used to do it before. I think the real difference comes from the sorting of the shanks as they can vary a whole gram or more. Calibrating strike weight without sorting the shanks really makes alot of unnecessary work and can make for some funny looking hammers in the treble section. At least this is something to consider. My treble voicing issues have become considerably reduced by doing it this way. I think that before I used this procedure I was more inclined to funkify my line than currently, not that I don't. Maybe I just feel like I get a better result overall. And maybe it's actually less funkification. I wish I could prove it but I wasn't looking for that particular improvement so I didn't do a good before and after. Anyway there's 2 more cents. Chris Solliday ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Busby" <jim_busby at byu.edu> To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org> Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 3:46 PM Subject: Re: [CAUT] hammer line > Alan, > > This looks like what Dale Erwin does to all Bs. Did you attend that class? I've always been a bit afraid of making this kind of funkyfied hammer-line. You're only the second person I've known crazy enough to actually do it! I guess I'll try it now. > > Regards, Jim > > -----Original Message----- > From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Alan McCoy > Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 1:17 PM > To: College and University Technicians <caut at ptg.org> > Subject: [CAUT] FW: hammer line > > Hello folks, > > Thought I'd share this photo. I ruined a perfectly straight hammer line on a > 1898 S&S A. It was the most dramatic hammer line problem I have encountered. > I moved the top hammer of the first capo region about 3/16" toward the capo, > and the lowest hammer of the top capo region about 1/8" toward the capo. For > both areas I thought I'd taper the hammer line all the way to the other end. > But as it turned out I only needed to start the taper (according to my ear) > at the half-way point (G5 up to the break, and D7 down to the break). > > This area had always sounded funky and I was trying to find out why. I > couldn't believe how much improvement this made. > > I know that these hammers and shanks were put on about 10 or 12 years ago, > but I don't know if the originals were hung straight or not. I wonder when > S&S figured out they needed to grind the capo out toward the bridge. There > was plenty of room on the capo to just grind it, rather than have to recast > the whole capo bar. > > Alan > > > -- Alan McCoy, RPT > Eastern Washington University > amccoy at mail.ewu.edu > 509-359-4627 > >
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