Hey Paul Long time no see! Good to see you posting up .The post to David Love as to the ronsen hammer question listed my E - mail incorrectly. The address is Erwinpiano@ msn.com and the post was made 1/21/01 . You can find it in archives or if you'd like a copy of that post which will most likely answer your questions as to quality,voicing procedures and more I'd be glad to fax it if you send me a fax no. I would like to make a couple of further points since on the subject . I really feel the RONSEN product has been or is currently grossly under rated. My own personel business philosophy is one that trys to support suppliers and people who are inextricably linked with my own efforts to produce a quality product. Ronsen is one such supplier. Although I understand that Ronsen has had there share of ups as downs over the yrs in the quality dept. it would be simply your loss not to try them. For all those that have suggested that they would not use them in a quality pianos are missing an oppurtunity to produce a vintage steinway/ mason hamlin quality of sound .In fact all of the steinways in our shop have received the german felted Ronsen hammers and have been for the last four yrs. Have likely installed 40 sets in steinways. Yes I know there are other hammers out there that are more widely marketed and yes I know Everyone has there prefrence( and this is mine) But we find that in our shop we can produce that classic steinway sound in a fraction of the time it was taking with all of the others and I did'nt have a blown out elbow from ridiculous amounts of needle work. I learned recently that Ronsen also carries The American felt which it has been using in a limited way. This felt is the same company that Steinway used for decades but no longr (to the best of my knowledge) It was /is the felt that many loved/hated but I do understand that the concet techs. loved it and were dis appointed at its disuse . I have order ed up a set to try even though I know they will likely need more juicing. However anyone who has been paying attention has heard glorious sounding Steinway pianos with this felt application. Yes more work But very versitle and very full of tone color . Yes and many of these were overdowsed with laquer and we hate all them in that condition uugghhhh Recent used 14lb. german felt in mint condition Steinway M . I applied the usual prep. procedure Weight matching ,, boring coving,tapering etc. After installation reg. tuning I spent appox. 30 min. voicing . The cool thing about this was that the original hammers were barely worn but on vertigreed part and they sounded well you know good . In all candor I have to say the new replacement set was incredibly similar in sound to the originals but more refined . It was about as close to an A. B. comparison as a tech can get . Just completed a Mason A using the 16 lb. german felt and the outcome also similar. In this case I juiced the bass as described in previous post and spent 20 min. needling from not 40 up And I was there! enough for now , and No I'm not a salesman just happy to find a product that produces great results with out the gnashing of teeth. Sincerely Dale Erwin
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