A question about hammer construction

[Geoff Sykes]

The fact that he did not get defensive tells me that he is open to learning
more. He is probably, for lack of alternative resources, simply sharing what
he has been taught by people that he respects and has no reason to question.
Sometimes that may even be the manufacturers literature. It's how most
without resources like the pianotech listserver, and PTG, get their "facts".
The fact that I am a tech and he is not earns my opinion some respect in his
eyes. But since I don't know either, (which is why I'm here), and since we
both want to learn more, where would you suggest he and I go to learn more
about the facts of hammer construction? Is there a web site that has this
kind of information?
 
-- Geoff Sykes
-- Assoc. Los Angeles


-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Jurgen Goering
Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2007 11:47 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: A question about hammer construction


It sounds like the salesman showing his ignorance to his clients, but of
course they couldn't tell. Just about everything he says is pretty much
wrong. Hammers without underfelt are not necessarily softer, cheaper, lower
quality, shorter lasting, and they are by no means indicative of the quality
of the instrument. Today, most bottom-of-the-barrel pianos have hammers with
underfelt. 

Although hammers without underfelt are not found in many pianos made today ,
in the past there were many fantastic instruments that had single layer felt
hammers. I am thinking about older Bechsteins, Blüthners, etc. 
The presence of an underfelt and its characteristics flow into hammer
performance just as the size, shape, and wood species used in the molding
do.

Hammer felt making is a world unto itself, and the processes of
manufacturing that felt into hammers are precise, complex and varied. I
think everyone would be better served if piano sales people like the one in
question were more knowledgeable about the instruments they are selling.
Simplifying things for the average client is fine, but one has to at least
start and end up with facts. It doesn't sound like one could learn much
about pianos (or hammers at least) by talking to this salesman.


Jurgen Goering
Piano Forte Supply
(250) 754-2440
info at pianofortesupply.com
http://www.pianofortesupply.com


On Mar 16, 2007, at 22:02, Geoff Sykes wrote:


This afternoon, after store hours, I asked a salesman at the store I work at
one day a week about the way he describes hammer construction and
performance to his customers. Basically he is telling customers that the
colored section next to the wood is a second layer that makes the hammer
harder, (or whatever), and that the multiple layered hammers perform better,
last longer and are subsequently more expensive and therefore only found on
pianos that cost a little more. Single layer hammers, (solid white), on the
other hand, are softer, don't perform as well and wear out quicker.


 
I shared with him that I seem to remember "learning" somewhere that the
colored section was, functionally, simply that. A colored section. That the
coloring of that section was used to identify hammers made to certain
specifications and/or for certain buyers. Also, that hammers with that
colored layer were only found in pianos whose manufacturers went to the
trouble to actually define those characteristics to the hammer manufacturer.


 
The fact that the colored layer hammers are only found in the slightly more
expensive better made pianos is a given. As is the fact that the colored
layer also usually indicates a higher quality hammer. My conversation with
this salesman was not an argument. I was just curious and was hoping to
learn something. But at the end of our conversation we both had the same
questions:


 
: Is that colored section actually a second layer? (We could not tell by
feeling it.)



: Is that colored section, or second layer, actually functionally different
than the rest of the hammer?



: In other words, does it actually do more than merely act as an identifier
for the characteristics of that hammer?


 
The way he describes hammers to the customer probably doesn't require
change. Simplifying things for the average customer is not necessarily a bad
thing. We just want to know for ourselves.


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