Steinway hammers?

[John Musselwhite]

At 01:01 PM 29/04/96 -0600, Les Smith wrote:

>Boy, Rory, it sounds like you're losing faith. You have to remember that
>those Steinway upright hammers that you just installed are the finest made
>today. However, unlike those produced by lesser manufacturers like Abel and
>Renner, which sound great immediately with only a minimum of filing and
>voicing, with the Steinway hammers you're buying POTENTIAL! Which means that

While I appreciate his humour, I have to disagree with Les. With Steinway
hammers you are buying both tradition and a hammer that will ultimately
prove itself with your skill and not just a hammer that's easy to install. I
have heard beautiful S&S B & D models with Abel and Renner hammers, but to
me there always seemed to be something missing from the sound. Sure, they're
"pleasant", but a tame piano is like a tame bear... fun to watch but you
know it isn't dangerous so there isn't as much excitement there.

Personally, I prefer to put a little more of myself into voicing a piano
rather than having most of the work done for me already. IMO, that
"something missing" from the sound is lacquer on soft hammers. Without it, a
Steinway doesn't sound like a Steinway.

Oh... and to Rory: EMail me and we can talk about those hammers.  It appears
that Les would rather belittle tradition than nuture it.

                        John

John Musselwhite, RPT
Calgary, Alberta Canada
musselj@cadvision.com