s&s hammers

[Antares]

16-01-2000 17:08

I applause, and take my hat off...
A perfect answer.

Antares


> 
> In a message dated 1/15/2000 11:50:00 PM, Arlan wrote:
> 
> <<"As I am not a contributing member of the list I feel somewhat hesitant to
> offer my opinion.">>
> Arlan; 
> First of all never feel "hesitant" about offering your opinion it is welcome
> here as are the opinions of all.
> 
> Secondly though perhaps we need to give Rob  the benefit of the doubt.....
> perhaps when he said "they bite", vis a vis S&S hammers, he was referring to
> the brittle quality of over "alternatively prepared" S&S hammers rather than
> any of the myriad 'other' possible meanings ;-)
> 
> <<"One only needs to listen to some of the recent (and past)
> recordings of Steinway pianos with major artists to appreciate the results.">>
> 
> 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.?
> 
> Nay listening to recordings should not lead us to believe that each and
> every recording represents the 'typical' S&S hammer even as listening to a
> recording of Horowitz does not tell us that his instrument(s) were regulated
> in the 'typical' S&S fashion. Recordings are rather like fossils in that we
> can tell what it is but not why it is, rather like we can tell that
> pterodactyls probably could fly but not 'how' they flew.
> 
> To think that S&S hammers are some monolithic entity is to abuse historical
> reality and one size 'doesn't' fit all. A 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".  Thinking that given all the va
> rious 'favorite' means of "alternative" treatment ranging from what Del F.
> would do, through what Rob G. would do and at the low end of the scale what
> Jim B. would do, would yield anything like a 'typical' S&S hammer, or sound,
> just flies in the face of reason...doesn't it?
> 
> 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..................fortunately Arlan there is no
> 'one' correct answer and equally fortunately we have a large selection of
> equally viable alternatives to select from today Thanks to Lloyd, Wally,
> Ernie, etc.
> My view.
> Jim Bryant (FL)
> 
>