s&s hammers

[robert goodale]

Thank you Jim, I couldn't have responded better...

JIMRPT@AOL.COM wrote:
<snip>

>  Tis true that there are legions of recordings of S&S pianos which are
> exemplary examples of what a S&S, well prepared, can sound like....Tis also
> just as true that listening to the recordings will not tell you how the
> hammmers were prepared or even if they were S&S hammers.  Then there is the
> matter of which S&S hammer it is? Generic S&S hammer? Renner S&S hammer?,
> Abel S&S hammer? NY S&S hammer, etc.?

<snip>

> To think that S&S hammers are some monolithic entity is to abuse historical
> reality and one size 'doesn't' fit all. An S&S hammer of today would feel out
> of place next to a S&S hammer of 25, 45, or 100 years ago. For those who
> insist on authenticity and feel surfeited because the 'parts' came from S&S,
> god bless them....but non the less apropo are those who feel that the
> instrument may be well served by "alternative" hammers rather than
> "alternative tecniques regarding preparation".

<snip>

> Yes there is a place for "genuine" S&S hammers in my shop, just not often
> when I have the say so and 'almost' never on a piano that I own.  S&S hammers
> are good quality, but are they the 'best' quality for what you are doing?
> This is a question that each of us must answer for ourselves and our customer
> and the individual instrument....

My thoughts exactly.

Rob Goodale, RPT
Las Vegas, NV