Evidence of overlacquered hammers

[David Love]

I can't speak for your experience or position about whether a piano does
or doesn't deserve a new set of hammers.  My main point was that
different pianos will respond differently to different density and
weight hammers.  You can explain it however you wish.  My recommendation
is that one should try different samples when considering changing
hammers and judge for yourself based on what you hear.  I wouldn't
dismiss a hammer just because it might need a bit of lacquer.  But
that's just my humble opinion.  I always defer to the classroom monitor.


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 12:35 PM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Re: Evidence of overlacquered hammers

Dont know what to say David.  Your descriptions simply do not match my 
experience. I have never seen a piano soundboard being overdriven by too

heavy a hammer.  That is to say, any soundboard that begins to distort 
is wrecked from the get go and said piano doesnt really qualify for the 
expensive proceedure a change of hammers really is.  There are always 
extreme exceptions to any rule of course.

In any case... I can guarrantee that any Renner Wurzen made for a 
Steinway D or any other piano, properly voiced and treated upon install,

will not overdrive any soundboard in a condition that justifies the 
expense of a hammer replacement to begin with.

Interesting you should mention  the Chickering Quarter Grand,  I have 
two under my care... both with SW 8 curves on them... not exactly light 
weights.. Renner hammers on one, Abels on another... all done before I 
knew about Wurzens... and there simply is no hint of the condition you 
describe. These hammers are quite a bit denser then comparable weighted 
Wurzens are.

I've always been skeptical to the soundboard overdrive hypotheses out 
there, mainly because its not the hammers that drive the board... its 
the strings.  When someone shows... (as in measures not as in muses) 
that there is a clear connection between hammer size (within reasonable 
parameters) and the amount of string energy needed to overdrive a 
soundboard... I'll get interested.

String terminations is to my mind of thinking a far more likely place to

look for distortion causes. A board that makes distortion noises simply 
needs replacement, and quite likely will display that need in more ways 
then one.

BTJMVAWDHTAOE  :)

Cheers
RicB


David Love wrote:

>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.  
>
>  
>

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