I would also like to respond to Nick and add my 2 cents in here. I have always preferred the Ronsen or NY Steinway hammer. With these I have the opportunity to work the tone up rather than working the tone down. It's all about control. Let me make an analogy here. It's like taking a puppy and training it to be the dog you want it to be, rather than taking some old dog and trying to re-train it to be the dog you want. As the saying goes, You can't teach an old dog new tricks! It's what I call developing tone. You start with a new fresh hammer, you listen and you decide what it needs. and you work the tone from there. Once you develop the tone you want, it will only get better as the hammer wears in. On the other hand you start with a hammer that is too hard, bright, you start working the tone down. After much work, you have the tone in the range you like. As the piano get played, the tone doesn't get any better from there, but like the old dog, goes back to it's pre voiced state, requiring continual voicing during to aging process. I'm not saying that I have not had good results from hot pressed hammers in a concert venue, I'm just saying that I prefer to develop my own tone. When that has been done, I find the tone will tend to improve rather than regress. Respectfully, Al -------------------------------------------------- From: "Richard Brekne" <ricb at pianostemmer.no> Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2009 5:02 PM To: <pianotech at ptg.org> Subject: Re: [pianotech] Weickert special felt update > Hi Nick > > This is an interesting comment. Seems to me that most folks I know, and my > personal experience would agree, would have things the other way around. > No problem getting enough bite with NY hammers.... rather getting that > open warmth and initial swell or bloom seems to be the complaint of > difficulty. And if there seems to be any weakness to hammers that need > needling up it is on the bite site of the equation. Georges Amman from > Hamburg fame provides an interesting approach in adhering to the idea that > hammers first must be needled for bloom and openness before lacquer is > truly useful and this concerns really the top octave and a half, and then > also the lowest bass area. As to stability... tho in my experience there > is really little difference between both methods when each is well > executed... I do hear as you state many claim NY ... ie lacquered hammers > have the edge there. > > As to what to choose... I know for sure my own preferences... and they > have changed slightly over the years....have to admit I was very impressed > with Ammans approach.... but I think really a really good tech knows very > well how to get the sound he/she is after with their own particular hammer > of choice...whatever that may be. I also think that this naturally limits > the field of play as clearly there are hammers that are just plain > difficult to work with... if not down right hopeless. > Its probably easier to rule out the less desirable hammers then point to > any specific <<best>> hammer. That said.... I prefer high quality hammers > that require needling to achieve openness and power, and the best I've run > into so far are the Wurzen II's I get from Renner Germany or through > Andrè. I'm interested in these newly released Able Naturals of course... > but then I am familiar with Wurzens. > > Cheers > RicB > > > Many experienced techs are loathe to use S&S hammers, either in the > past or present, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is > they feel they cannot get the bite they are looking for. They opt > for Renner or other or even Hamburg Steinway as they prefer to work > the hammer down rather than up.Other fine techs take the opposite > view by only using S&S as they feel they can't get the warmth or > stability they are looking for. You and others have explained quite > well the merits of the new Weickerts and I am very appreciative of > that. > > I don't know if this post will catch on, and I doubt that any of us > out here would be interested in a free for all; that is why my idea > is to consider the opinions of experienced techs when it comes time > to choose hammers for performance venue instruments such as Bs and > Ds. We all know that such pianos need to bite as well as carry, and > that most performers are going to voice frustration if this isn't > the case. > > > > >
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