>At 05:00 PM 6/29/96 -0700, you wrote: >>I am curently finishing some work on a Mason Hamlin AA and have just hung >>a set of Abel hammers. After the usual string leveling, shoulder voicing, >>etc.it had glorious sound--until I tried the soft pedal. The tone in the >>top one and a half octaves turns to a terrible soft, thin sound. >>Remember, the strings and hammers are matching and the crowns have been >>voiced evenly. I have hung a lot of hammers but have never really had this >>particular problem and have now run out of my bag of tricks. This >>performer uses a lot of half pedal on the una corda. Any suggestions? >> >>Everett Story RPT Dear Everett, There have been several excellent suggestions for a possible solution to your problem here on the list. Two other ideas: 1. Sometimes it is necessary to reduce the action travel in order to produce an acceptable UC sound. Last summer, when Steinway chief technician Ron Conors spoke at the national seminar, he pointed out that in the Steinway basement they do not attempt to make the hammer shift so far that it completely misses the left string--this can produce the kind of sound you describe. Just a slight shift is usually all that is necessary to provide a contrast in tone color. 2. The hard pressed hammers you are using will require a bit of *shallow* needling at the crown to provide the soft cushion needed for a warm, sweet sound at lower dynamic levels, with or without UC. At any rate, be patient; Abel hammers will take some voicing, but produce a lovely, varied tone eventually. I have them on one of our most popular concert instruments. Charles Charles Ball School of Music University of Texas at Austin
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