Hammer

[Thomas Cole]

I rebuilt the action of an 1881 Steinway upright 15+ years ago and noted 
that the tone in the 5th/6th octaves didn't sound quite like a piano. It 
was a spec piano and a prospective buyer decided not to buy it because 
of the tone in that area, so I experimented with the strike line on the 
advise of a fellow tech. I found that the tone improved if I moved the 
first treble hammer up 5/16" from the original position, tapering off to 
standard height somewhere in the high treble.

Comparing the ratio of strike distance to speaking length with the same 
ratio in a Yamaha U3, I discovered that they were the same. The 5/16" 
change was a lucky guess; I like the way Dale arrives at it.

Tom Cole

Erwinspiano at aol.com wrote:

> Hi Phil
>   The upright part of this exercise is rather a new venture & both 
> times on Steinway uprights which received new butts & shanks.  Knowing 
> that the problem children notes are always in the same area/octave 5 & 
> 6, I just left the shanks a bit long & starting experimenting. It 
> really helps to have a nice tight dry shank to hammer fit so positiong 
> for optimal sound can be done without glue.
>   Make sense. We are currently rebuilding  a beautiful 1904 Fischer 
> upright & I will pay more attention tonally to it the killer ocatave 
> than I would have in the past.  Since Steinways are the most common 
> piano we work on It is these I am most familiar with & am prepared for 
> this up front.
>    However we are completing a BB Mason with a mild but V shaped 
> strike line between the first & second capo are. IE notes 70 ish are 
> the closest to the player but only by 2 to 3 MM.
>  
>   Dale Erwin
>
>     Dale... I read the request for your hammer positioning method. I
>     understand
>     how you remove and reglue grand hammers down the shanks for
>     optimal tone (I
>     was at your PA PTG class), but what is your method on a vertical
>     where the
>     shank holes don't go all the way through the hammer molding? Do
>     you test
>     each hammer in the piano, cutting the shanks as you go?
>
>     Thanks,
>
>     Philip Jamison
>     West Chester, PA 
>
>  
>
>
>
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