[CAUT] Steinway extra-bore-length

[David Love]

I would agree with that and #6 is my choice.  That being said, on
particularly nasty hammers those glover's needles get to the heart of the
matter quickly, so to speak.  

David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com


-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Peter
Sumner
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 7:29 AM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Steinway extra-bore-length

I think it must be stressed that the needle choice is quite important...
In New York, I had bought 'glover's needles' by mistake just before a week
at the factory with Eric Schandall....
Eric gave me a knowing smile and they stayed in my kit.....sharp points are
critical....and glover's needles have a small blade and actually cut...bad,
bad, bad....
Replace needles often, is a good mantra.....#5 or #6 James sharps or
'betweens' are my favourites...
P
On Jun 4, 2010, at 7:19 AM, Fred Sturm wrote:

> On Jun 3, 2010, at 10:54 PM, David Love wrote:
> 
>> With respect to the question of more or less tearing with a fast or slow
stroke all I can say is when I get a flue shot every year I think there's a
reason that they employ the stab rather than the press method and I'm not
sorry that they do.
> 
> 
> 	But that is in line with a stab cutting more readily. The quick stab
breaks the skin surface and some muscle underneath, and the needle
penetrates. Press, and the skin indents and nerves are activated. The skin
is a "solid" surface and needs to be cut to be penetrated.
> 	A hammer, OTOH, is a bunch of fibers with air space in between
(unless it is ridiculously too densely pressed), and we want the needle to
go in the space between fibers and spread them rather than cut them. That is
what adds to the resilience, the bounce of the hammer. The fibers are
(generally) stiffly joined in an array, and need to be loosened up, like a
pair of jeans dried on the line. The less destructively we can do this, the
better, or so I picture it - and experience seems to bear this out, both in
longevity and tonal results.
> Regards,
> Fred Sturm
> fssturm at unm.edu
> http://www.youtube.com/fredsturm
>