Evidence of overlacquered hammers

[Richard Brekne]

David Love wrote:

> OK, try putting hammer number 88 on note number 1 and see if you can
> tell the difference.   
> 
> 

One of Ed McMorrows main points is that this kind of experiment will 
yield (properly voiced) no real difference. Course you can hardly voice 
a number 88-90 hammer thus.... so we have to stick with reasonable 
parameters that dont involve other factors

David Stanwood a while back suggested something in a similar thread that 
would be more revealing.  Simply add or subtract a significant amount of 
mass to existing hammers.

There is a slight problem with that idea as well tho... more mass with 
same elasticity will, if I am not mistaken, result in an increase in the 
amount of time the hammer will remain in contact with the strings, 
damping higher partials and accenting lower ones.

But in any case... it should be possible to actually measure soundboard 
output for same amount of key input for the two conditions and see the 
result.

I would suspect the impression of more sound is more a matter of the 
difference in the respective partial ladders.  The behavior of different 
wave lengths of sound waves moving through the air get into the picture, 
along with a good deal of other factors.

Nothing like measuring straight out to confirm or not the kinds of 
claims some have made.

Cheers
RicB