Evidence of overlacquered hammers

[David Love]

I'm not talking about the quality of the hammer, I'm talking about the
density (and weight).  Nor am I talking about what can be done in terms
of overdriving a soundboard, but what tends to happen.  A soft light
hammer can, of course, be manipulated by hardening to overdrive a
soundboard, but put a light Ronsen Bacon felt hammer on that old
Chickering quarter grand and a Renner Wurzen designed for a Hamburg
Steinway and then tell me that the Wurzen isn't overdriving that board
no matter how much needling you do or that the Ronsen hammer will keep
things under control much more easily.  

This may be an extreme example but similar examples abound.  Many, if
not most, of the pianos out there have soundboards that, due to age or
method of manufacture, are easily overdriven, and I'm talking about
Steinway, Bechstein, Mason Hamlin, and many other "quality" pianos.  I
think McMorrow's ideas often work because of this.  A lighter hammer
(and softer in my opinion) will sound better on a soundboard that has
long ago moved along the line from controlled attack, long sustain to
uncontrolled attack, short sustain and, conversely, a denser hammer (to
a point) will sound better on a piano that has controlled the impedance
problems and delivered a stiff but responsive assembly--one that may
need, or certainly tolerate, being driven harder.

And while I agree that terminations are best dealt with at the point of
termination, a softer hammer can sometimes cause less extrusion of the
string and mitigate termination problems that might not be able to be
addressed without restringing or redesign.  

The bottom line is that you can't force quality tone into a piano by
using a so-called "quality" hammer (which is not to disparage Ronsen
hammers, they are quality hammers too) if it isn't there to begin with.
All you can really do is to get the best the piano has to offer.
Frequently that necessitates using a hammer that is softer than you
might ordinarily use and building up the density just short of the point
where the piano can handle it.  But to each his own, that's why they
make chocolate and vanilla.

David Love
davidlovepianos@comcast.net 

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On
Behalf Of Richard Brekne
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 10:25 AM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Re: Evidence of overlacquered hammers

David Love wrote:

>There are a number of factors that should come into play when choosing
a
>hammer for a particular piano.  The condition of the belly is a crucial
>one that is often neglected.  People tend to pick a single type of
>hammer because that is what they are familiar with or because they like
>the supplier, the price or the name.  My experience suggests that
>certain hammers are simply inappropriate for certain pianos.  An old
>tired soundboard, for example, will not benefit from a very hard
pressed
>and/or heavy hammer that requires a lot of needling. 
>
If I understand this correctly, I can only say that my experience does 
not concur.  I have never run into a situation where a soundboard did 
not respond well to high quality hammers of the sort that need needling.

Nor can I say I've ever run into a piano whoes sounboard could be 
overdriven by one type of hammer and not another. True enough hammers 
can be too massive, but there is nothing to suggest that this can over 
drive a panel IMHO. At some point the hammer simply can not be made to 
transfer any more energy to the panel to begin with due to action 
compliance issues. I suspect in this that Ed McMorrow is far more 
correct then wrong in this regard when he maintains that much lighter 
hammers can do the same job as heavier ones exactly because of this 
compliance issue, and because they are more easily accelerated to 
maximum velocity.

I also have to raise the point that very much has been made by various 
contributers arguing in support of the lacquer technique that it makes 
no difference to begin with from an acoustic point of view which type of

hammer is used.  If that is so then the above is in confict and one or 
the other must simply give way to the real truth of the matter... 
whatever that be. Said another way... the type of hammer used can not on

the one hand be so inconsequential and then on the other hand cause a 
soundboard to go into overdrive.

Thirdly... I would point out that I do not subscribe to useing  ... to 
quote "very hard pressed and/or heavy hammer that requires a lot of 
needling"

I use hammers that are moderate weighted hammers appropriatly pressed so

that a reasonable amount of needling results in a concentration of 
energy at the striking point and a natural felt resiliancy at the level 
I choose

I also believe that problems with terminations are delt with from the 
standpoint of the termination itself being addressed, not trying to 
select a set of hammers that allows one to avoid bettering such
problems.

All this said... I have to repeat what I have said many times.  Those 
whose tastes lead them to prefer the different sound characteristics 
that lacquered hammers neccessarilly impart are valuable assets to the 
general diversity of our buisness.... especially those few who are true 
masters of the technique. That I personally do not find the sound of 
said hammers appealing is inconsequential in that regard.

Cheers
RicB
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