Rock Maple Hammer Cores

[Overs Pianos]

André,

>English is not my native language and I am not a 
>wood expert I want to ask you what you have 
>against rock maple.

I have nothing against maple for many uses in 
piano manufacture, but I believe there are more 
suitable woods for hammer cores.

>Steinway Hamburg has maple these days for their 
>hammer moldings and we do many hammer changes 
>with these maple hammers.

Yes I am aware that they are using maple, but I 
haven't played any of these instruments yet. I 
also understand that the current Ds have lighter 
hammers than previously, so the felt must be 
considerably lighter since the core wood is 
heavier.

>I must say I like these hammers but I like them 
>especially because they have a fine quality 
>Wurzen felt.

It is possible that a more resilient felt might 
allow for a respectable tone from maple cores, 
but my preference has been for hammers with cores 
of Walnut or Mahogany, on account of their 
lighter density.

>My ears are ok and I trust my musicality

I don't doubt you.

>Does Steinway Hamburg use a different kind of maple?

It is possible that Steinway are not using rock 
maple for their hammer cores. They might be using 
European maple, otherwise known as Sycamore, 
botanical name Acer pseudoplatanus. Visually, 
these two timbers look almost identical, but 
Sycamore has a lighter density (0.6 gr/cc) than 
rock maple (0.7 gr/cc).

>I highly value your experience and would 
>appreciate it if you could tell us what you have 
>against rock maple.

My early experience with Hormbeam cored Imadagawa 
hammers put me off using hard core wood for 
hammer cores. You could voice these things 
forever and they still screamed at you, similar 
to the early series Kawai KG hammers. I 
understand that hammer manufacturers have to be 
very careful when pressing up hammers made with 
lighter cores such as Walnut or Mahogany. I 
suspect that when using maple (or hornbeam) 
cores, it is possible to load them up to the max. 
in the press without fear of damaging the 
core-wood. Furthermore, you can imagine how much 
compressional pressure there must be right at the 
apex of the core. A softer core wood provides for 
for a level of 'give' under the highly compressed 
hammer felt. This may go some way towards 
explaining why hammers with maple or hormbeam 
cores are generally so bright.

Ron O.
-- 

      OVERS PIANOS
   Grand piano manufacturers
________________________

Web:   http://www.overspianos.com.au
Email: mailto:ron@overspianos.com.au
________________________