[pianotech] Hammer strike line. Was-----Yamaha Hammer Suggestion

[PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com]

Dale:
 
This is almost exactly my technique as well. It works quite nicely.
 
Paul
 
 
In a message dated 2/7/2010 11:12:41 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
erwinspiano at aol.com writes:

By the way Randy Chastain asked  about procedure for finding a different 
strike line. This obviously must be  done by ear. I apply tape to the key bed 
in front of the action frame as a  guide and then pull the action in and out 
listening for clarity and sustain.  When the right spot is found I place a 
mark on the tape. This becomes my  measure as to how far the hammer is to be 
moved. In conjunction with  that depressing the soft pedal will reveal weak 
whiny nasal sound when  the strike line is not tonally optimal.  Usually 
that sound is gone  completely when the hammers are in the right spot(whatever 
that  is)
 Dale





-----Original  Message-----
From: erwinspiano at aol.com
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent:  Sun, Feb 7, 2010 7:28 pm
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Hammer strike line.  Was-----Yamaha Hammer 
Suggestion


Ok guys . I'll be the experiential  contrarian

 
 
 
 
Not all our boards produced are RC  & S but I find no difference to strike 
line vulnerability.  My Own Steinway B is RC&S has a 15 rib fanned rib 
scale,  massive bass curve cut-off and a beefed up tone/treble belly brace bar.  
It benefitted greatly from a significant strike line change. Perhaps our  
recipes are not the same. It has amazing tuning stability, wonderful  sound.
  IMHO and what my  experience is is that hey all benefit from some change 
both in power and  sustain, at least in my shop. So I  change the strike 
line. I think  it could be a combination of things. Sure the board parameters. 
Yes and  perhaps the plate. New B and D plates have been altered and are way 
less  problematic. 
 I have wondered if it has something to  do with hammer to string contact 
time as most after market modern  hammers installed are not the same light 
weight devices originally installed  up till the 1960's? or so. Usually a 1 to 
2 gram difference. In the treble  this is significant.
    Next, one that  comes to mind is the way we all bore the hammers. 
Original hammers and  shanks over centered a good bit. Our shop does not do it 
this way. My  formula is :String height minus center pin height minus 1 mm in 
each section.  This probably pushes the strike point further out away from 
the sweet  spot. 
  Original stwy hammers have  approx. a 1 degree rake toward the tail of 
the piano. I don't do this.  So...the question is, what was there idea? Many 
pianos prepped hammers  this way.
 Most of the hammers I install are low  compresion hammers
 At any rate Paul ...questions  remain.
 
  Dale







I've found the same thing.  Strike line deviation being necessary on 
original boards but when I replace the board on the same piano with a RC&S
 board the strike line seems to straighten out, or the curve becomes
 unnecessary.  What's that about?  
 
 David Love
 _www.davidlovepianos.com_ (http://www.davidlovepianos.com/) 
 
 
 William Truitt wrote:
 > I too have staggered the strike line on Steinway grands and other pianos 
 > to find the sweet spot and get the best tone.  So let's ask the question 
 > of the why of that - what is going on in the plate and string interface 
 > in relation to the action that requires something other than a straight 
 > line to achieve the best tone? 
 
 
 Look at where the farthest deviation from a straight line is. 
 Gee, that looks like the most universally problematic part of 
 Steinway, and other largely panel supported crown, scales. How 
 can there possibly be tonal problems in the killer octave? 
 Must be the plate casting.
 
 As I periodically repeat, I find this phenomenon to not be 
 obvious in low compression and adequately supported RC&S 
 systems. I still check now and then, but find the difference, 
 if I can detect any at all, to not be worth the trouble to 
 deviate from the straight line on a new RC&S board. On an 
 original board, it's likely obvious enough to be worth the 
 trouble.
 
 I think it's primarily the soundboard.
 Ron N
 












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