On July 7, Ron Torrella wrote, >I wonder how receptive Renner (in Stuttgart--since that's who actually >makes the wippens for Renner USA) would be to some Yankee Westerner >telling them how to improve their product. Granted, they did add the >adjustment screw (mercifully!), I don't think they're going to be >terribly sympathetic. Aren't they going to be at Albuqurque? Surely >Lloyd will be. For the record, I use .029 gauge wire in the highest >10-12 wippens. >I did experiment with lower spring gauges and wasn't satisfied with the >change in responsiveness. Anyone else try this? Ron, I also wish Renner would consider optional spring diameters, especially when using S&S hammers. The Renner springs are totally out in left field with the amount of effort it takes one to achieve consistency within a reasonable amount of time. We do weaken the springs as they come out of the box to speed up regulation time and repin levers to 4 grams of resistence. The loose pinning combined with excessive spring strength is annoying considering the cost of the parts. I have heard that the metal content of the springs can make a difference in the ability to finesse the spring strength. Is this a valid concept? Steinway has a phosphorous bronze spring, an alloy of copper and tin. We have not tried to replace springs yet on the Renner whip but it sounds like a good idea. With S&S I am having success using N.Y. reps with Renner pre-84 shanks and flanges and N.Y. hammers. This combo gives slightly higher downwieghts but much faster upweights and eliminates the spring problem, although it is still necessary to repin N.Y. reps even with their smaller spring diameters. Brent Fischer Arizona State University Brent.Fischer@ASU.EDU Arizona State University/Tempe
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC