[CAUT] Yay for Wally's Naturals!

[David Ilvedson]

Paul,

Why not tell us exactly what you did with the hammers...original shanks/flanges? for instance.   Just need to harden the bottom and top?   What did you use for hardener?   Obviously, the piano had everything there ready to go and good hammers made it happen.   

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Paul T Williams" <pwilliams4 at unlnotes.unl.edu>
To: caut at ptg.org
Received: 5/29/2009 2:30:43 PM
Subject: [CAUT] Yay for Wally's Naturals!


>Hi all,

>I want to express my sincere thanks to Wally Brooks and his Abel Natural 
>Felt hammers especially made for Steinway concert grands!!   They came out 
>sounding so wonderful on this 1990 instrument it nearly brought tears to 
>the eyes of many students here at UNL (all of our piano profs are in 
>Europe right now), but since they know this instrument and play it 
>regularly for recitals, I figured they're the best for feedback anyway!. I 
>had to try it after all the voicing/tone-building stuff I learned from him 
>2 years ago on an all-day seminar.  They wouldn't stop playing it!  The 
>smiles it created and the relaxed stature while playing became so 
>enjoyable,...it was fun to watch and listen.!  I also combined it using 
>some Andre O. voicing techniques. Overall...a very nice piano now!  The 
>killer octave has a clarity that I've never heard from this era of 
>Steinway D.  I timed the everlasting sustain in the mid-range-spread out 2 
>octave Bb chord and it lasted well over 1.5 minutes until I got weary of 
>listening for it.....No strike and hear a drop of immediate decay....a 
>nice and steady decay...even in the killer section.  Maybe I just lucked 
>out!  Any other of you tried these hammers from Abel on a Steinway D from 
>this era?

>Have a good weekend!

>Paul
>