Hamburg vs American S & S

[John Musselwhite]

>QUESTION: is it true that US Steinways are generally heavier than the German
>Steinways, and what may be the reson?

Do you mean heavier as in touch or heavier as in total weight?

A NY D is supposed to weigh in at 990 pounds (450 kg) on its own casters..
Perhaps someone else knows the weight of a Hamburg D. My guess is a Hamburg
is slightly lighter because mahogany and red beech are both less dense than
the maple NY uses for rims.

As for the touch, I've played "heavy" Hamburgs and frighteningly light NY
actions with everything in between. A NY action is supposed to be "faster"
(hence "accelerated") by something like 5-6% than the H., but I have heard
that European tastes tend to be for slightly lighter actual touch weights,
which is supposed to be reflected in the Hamburg. The weigh-off data for a
NY D is:

Down Weight
1-16    -       51 gm
17-32   -       50 gm
33-45   -       49 gm
46-61   -       48 gm
62-75   -       47 gm
76-88   -       46 gm

The up weight is supposed to be 20 gm, plus any amount and minus 2gm.

Does anyone have the specs for a Hamburg?

                        John

John Musselwhite, RPT
Calgary, Alberta Canada
musselj@cadvision.com