Upright Hammer Selection

[Farrell]

OK, now you've really got my curiosity. "Lots of extra weight to remove and
it really improves the tone." My understanding of hammer weight is that it
has two effects. First, on touchweight: the heavier the hammer, the more it
will add to touchweight - just that simple. Second is tone: a too-light
hammer will produce less power, less dynamics, adding weight will improve
overall piano power/color-range/etc., adding more weight will continue
hammer improvements until you get to a critical weight where it is too much
weight and you start to hear a bit distorted sound. Stay just below that
too-heavy weight.

Please keep in mind here that I have almost zero personal/professional
experience with all this hammer weight stuff - I'm just trying to learn in
what direction popular thinking lies. Just trying to probe the hornet's
nest!

Are you saying that perhaps some hammers may be past this maximum weight
zone and lightening them up a bit will get them to a weight where they are
near their performance maximum, and producing optimum tone? Or are you
suggesting that (I suppose within some given reasonable weight range) the
more you lighten the hammer, the more tone will improve? Two very different
ways of thinking - am I clear on that?

Terry Farrell

----- Original Message -----
From: "Erwinpiano" <Erwinpiano@email.msn.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2001 12:45 PM
Subject: Fw: Upright Hammer Selection


> Terry
>
>    You are right about too much weight effecting tone/repetition in
> uprights. By now you know I'll suggest Ronsen hammers but whatever you use
> it is good practice to taper the hammers as on a grand if to heavy (and
most
> are) When I started weighing upright hammers and comparing old to new hmmr
> weights, wow was I shocked. Lots of extra weight to remove and it really
> improves the tone.
>
> Dale Erwin
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2001 6:36 AM
> Subject: Upright Hammer Selection
>
>
> > Does anyone have new hammer recommendations (what's your favorite
flavor?)
> > for turn-of-the-century 54" Steinway & Mason & Hamlin? I am also
concerned
> > about hammer weight. I understand its effect on tone and touchweight on
> the
> > grand, but on the vertical it would seem that hammer weight would affect
> > tone in a similar way, but touchweight would be different - I should
think
> > it would have a greater effect on inertia and less an effect on down and
> up
> > weights. How does all this shake out? Thanks again for input.
> >
> > Terry Farrell
> >
> >
> >
> >
>