High Weight Hammers, Re: Chickering rebuild--touchweight.

David Stanwood dstanwood@hotmail.com
Thu, 01 Feb 2001 23:26:48 -0000


Dale and all,

Regarding higher weight hammers, what is especially amazing is the amount of 
hidden potential that is brought out in the bass.  With medium or low zone 
strike weights there is a point at which hitting that key harder simply 
results in a thuddy janglen no matter how the hammer is voiced...  In the 
same piano with upper high zone Strike Weights a threshold is often crossed 
and striking the key harder results in a fuller more powerful fundamental... 
not unlike adding several feet to the piano!  I'm really not strecccching 
the truth.... this is the experience reported to me by many of my Precision 
TouchDesign installers...

Another interesting fact about high zone hammers is that one of my 
installers reports that the inharmonicity went down considerably after 
increasing hammer weight by as much as 1.9 grams on a Yamaha grand.
I believe it was from upper medium zone to mid high zone.  The whole voice 
of the piano changed in a fundamental way... for the better.

David Stanwood

P.S. - Regarding Chickering shanks...  These old Chickerings can have shanks 
that are narrower at the bushing end of the shank... Which can cause 
problems with modern replacement shanks that may be slightly wider.  I 
believe that Wally Brooks supplies a reproduction of this shank that is 
narrower across the bifurcation,... For those who may not know it..


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