hammers and soundboards

[antares]

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment

On 1-okt-04, at 22:25, David Love wrote:

> Comments below.=A0
>
>  =A0
>
> David Love
>  davidlovepianos@comcast.net
>
>
>  I do not agree with you...
>  I had my first factory training at B=F6sendorfer in Wien, and the=20
> emphasis on my training there was voicing.
>  Their hammers are not "very hard", they are kind of medium hard, just=20=

> like most Renner hammers.
>
>
>
> By my standards, and the hammers I deal with on a regular basis, they=20=

> are quite hard.

That may certainly be so. It all depends on what we call hard. Older=20
Yamaha hammers were rock hard and needed sometimes 100 jabs or more=20
with three needles.
Modern Schimmel hammers with Wurzen felt are like pebbles.
Wurzen hammers which I think are reasonably hard are perceived by=20
American colleagues as way too hard and unwanted. That I have learned.
In my opinion, B=F6sendorfer hammers are not extremely hard by European=20=

standards but sort of middle of the road. At B=F6sendorfer they use=20
however all the  available tensional powers in the hammer, to get as=20
much power transfer as possible.

>  =A0
>
> If you don=92t believe that soundboards contribute to how a hammer =
will=20
> sound on the piano, well, what can I say.=A0 Then you should be able =
to=20
> get the same tone on every piano no matter what the condition of the=20=

> soundboard as long as you use the same hammer and the piano has the=20
> same scale tension, non? =A0=A0My answer would be no.=A0 =A0

Of course you can not alter the personality of the soundboard with a=20
good hammer, but you can alter the transfer of energy by using a high=20
quality felt with certain density and tension qualities.
That's why I put it the other way around : The sound board does not=20
contribute to how a hammer will sound but the hammer is the striking=20
force that transfers the energy to the soundboard. The soundboard is=20
the personality, the character. the hammer is the force that energizes=20=

the soundboard. The way it transfers that force depends on the=20
material. shape and stiffness of the hammer. It is thus capable of=20
transferring more energy and in a 'better' way.

>
> =A0
>
> A good quality hammer is important, I will grant you that, but they=20
> are not imbued with magical powers. =A0=A0Why do I sense I will get =
some=20
> disagreement on that point?=A0 Just a feeling, I guess.=A0

It is not so much disagreement, but more a discussion between two=20
technicians with different opinions.
I never used the word 'magic' in this case because that is something we=20=

can not prove. That's why I tried very hard to give a clear distinction=20=

between lacquered hammers and un-lacquered hammers. in other words,  I=20=

try to make clear that there is no magic involved because that would=20
make me seem kind of ridiculous and childish. blabbing about fairy=20
tales.
I try very sincerely to give structure and credibility to my  words.
So tell me, what makes you say that you will get some disagreement on=20
your point?

>  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0
>
Andr=E9 Oorebeek

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: text/enriched
Size: 4834 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/d3/7a/be/4d/attachment.bin

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--