steinway over hardened hammer

[Richard Brekne]

I'll back you up on the confusing bit. It's hard to find out whats what 
out there. But look around long enough and pay attention and things 
start to come clear in the end.

Btw... S&S is not just S&S.  In Hamburg they frown big time on the 
general use of lacquer.  Oh they use it very sparingly in the very top 
and sometimes in the bottom... but 95 % or more of their voicing efforts 
are with needles only.  So what a stateside S&S tech does isnt 
representative of Steinway and Sons in general.  Its representative of 
the NY branch of the company only.

Cheers
RicB

Dean May wrote:

>>>Just for the sake of debate and to stimulate a bit of thought... I would
>>>      
>>>
>like to question why it is that techs so often seem so ready to reach
>for the hammer dope bottle.
>
>
>The answer, for me anyway, is that is what I saw the lead voicing tech for
>Indiana University using. Of course, he is used to working on Steinways. But
>I saw him lacquer hammers on a new Young Chang. So that is all I ever used,
>with mixed results. Until Phil Glen, I think it was, told me about buffing
>the strike surface with fine sandpaper strips for new Young Changs. This
>gave me another tool for making it a little brighter. I've also used fabric
>softener in water to voice down, because that is what the techs in the
>PianoDisc factory used when I took my training back in '93.
>
>I've only had one tech, who I respect a great deal, demonstrate a single
>deep needle to the shoulder to bring out a singing tone. And it appeared to
>me he was shy of using it.  He mainly works on S&S and uses lacquer.
>
>It is only the last 3-4 years with joining the guild that I am learning
>about the two different kinds of hammers. But it is confusing. How do you
>determine which variety the piano you are working on has? Most of the new
>hammers I am used to working on are Young Changs (I sold them for 12 years)
>or Imadagawas, which is the closest to a YC hammer I could find. Those
>hammers are hard, as are a lot of Asian piano hammers. Do they best respond
>to the needling techniques demonstrated by the Kawai Master Tech? Or do they
>best respond to the trash bin with a new set of Wurtzens in their place? ;-)
>
>Dean
>
>Dean May             cell 812.239.3359
>PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272
>Terre Haute IN  47802
>
>
>
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>
>  
>