[CAUT] How much voicing on new NY hammers/ Re-visited

[Paul T Williams]

Hi again all.

I'm on my second set of "new hammers" from S&S for a Steinway B.  It's 
like night and day on this set over the first set for the D.  It's more 
like what I thought I was going to get from the first set for the D.  I'm 
bringing down some twangy notes in the lower tenor and here and there, 
juicing up the upper octaves and the very lowest bass.   but these are 
actually quite nice and easy to work with. Go figgur!

I spent a lot of time on the D I complained about several months ago, and 
now have it sounding quite nice after switching it with the main stage for 
the big lecture hall.  Juiced some more (tilting action on the side and 
applying under the crown.)  It's pretty good.  Not a concerto instrument 
by any means (telling me a soundboard tiredness issue....and all say it 
was never very powerful...so, a soundboard problem from the beginning, 
maybe???). 

Just thought y'all should know that there is no reliable expectations on 
any set.  I have a couple other sets for some M's to get to later this 
summer and fall when returning from KC. We'll see....

So, I will also add that the Abel Naturals are always very predictable 
from set to set.  Hmmmmmm...  I get great reviews on pianos I put these 
on; on different brands....Perhaps that I've now become used to them and 
know what they do since they're pretty much the same set to set....

Who all is going to KC?  Should be a great conference. 

Best, and see you there, I hope!

Paul




From:
Paul T Williams <pwilliams4 at unlnotes.unl.edu>
To:
caut at ptg.org
Date:
01/14/2011 11:14 AM
Subject:
Re: [CAUT] How much voicing on new NY hammers/ Re-visited



Hi Kent and all, 

I quite discouraged with the set of factory hammers for one of our D's we 
discussed a couple months ago.  I've had to juice them several times all 
over.  I still don't like the tenor and killer octaves all the way up to 
C-7.  They're hung nice and straight, but for fun, I moved the action in 
and out a small amount (like2-4mm) to see if the killer area was going to 
need altering in the strike point.  Not much happened, so they stay where 
they are. 

Of course, they haven't had a lot of playing in yet.  I get so-so fff and 
the ppp is pretty good.  I don't like much of anything inbetween except 
the middle 2 octaves and bass.  It's just weak sounding. String mating is 
good and regulation is great, so it's either that these aren't a great set 
of hammers, or the soundboard has some issues (this piano is from the 80's 
or early 90's)  It was a C&A piano, so it's got a different serial number, 
but that's what Richard West says, and since he was here, that's what it 
is... 

I might consider trying some Hamburg hammers sometime, but I'll really 
have to think long and hard about getting another NY set. 

What about y'all? 

Paul 



From: 
Kent Swafford <kswafford at gmail.com> 
To: 
caut at ptg.org 
Date: 
10/13/2010 05:27 PM 
Subject: 
Re: [CAUT] How much voicing on new NY hammers




I have found no consistent answer to your question. The last set of D 
hammers I put on needed to be juiced up a bit in the top two sections and 
was then ready to go; the set before that has been juiced twice throughout 
and is not yet bright enough; the one before that was OK in the tenor but 
needed to be juiced everywhere else. 

Hanging these is like spinning the wheel of fortune. I'd be interested in 
knowing where yours land. 

Kent 


On Oct 13, 2010, at 4:17 PM, Paul T Williams wrote: 

Hi all 

Quick question;  how much voicing is typically needed on the new NY 
hammers for our D?  I have a very small window to put a set on our D in 
the main hall.  They're pre-hung and I have them here in the shop.  The 
project starts tomorrow. 

Thanks 
Paul 



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