Wurzen felt

[antares]

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Ahem...

I got a call from a  friend, who told me about this thread,
So, I decided to 'hop on the bandwagon' and let you all know what I=20
think about what was/is being said.

As most of you know from all the e-mails I sent to this list over the=20
years, I have come into contact with Wurzen felt through a Mr. Claus=20
who at the time worked for Renner as a technician.
I knew Mr. Claus from earlier visits to Renner, Stuttgart, because he=20
was the first person I had ever met before who was able to fulfill my=20
wishes by making light weight Steinway hammer copies for me.
At the local piano supply store in Amsterdam they had decided I was a=20
nuisance and made me feel totally ridiculous when I asked them for this=20=

specific item.  At Steinway Hamburg they told me that "what I was=20
looking for did not exist, and that it would be much better to buy a=20
brand new Steinway" (and decided I was a nuisance).
So I was forced to look for what I wanted at the source, which was/is=20
Renner, because they make the Steinway parts for "Hamburg".
Apparently, the people at Renner are able to listen better to wishes=20
and questions coming from 'weird technicians'.

So, during one of those visits I took along one of those buttery soft=20
original Steinway hammers covered with 'Weickert Filz', the forbearer=20
of Wurzen felt, and I asked Mr. Claus why, for heavens sake, we could=20
not have back that gorgeous felt of the past, to which Mr. Claus=20
answered, with a smile, that from now on, they (Renner) could provide=20
customers with this new/old felt.
This was, I think, in 1990 or 1991 and I was not the first one to hear=20=

this news (of course not, because I was, and am, just a free lance=20
piano technician, and not a member of an important factory).
So, of course, Steinway Hamburg already had gone back to=20
Weickert/Wurzen felt, and so had others, among which Yamaha, who=20
immediately bought this new Wurzen felt for their
CFIII-S.
Nevertheless, I was there, and I was among the early birds.

Slowly, over the years, the new Wurzen felt got better and better, and=20=

I became more and more enthusiastic and bought all my hammers from=20
Renner,  because at the time, Renner was the only hammer maker using=20
Wurzen felt.
Because I was so happy with my Renner Wurzen A hammers, I obviously=20
wrote about them on the list, and why not?
At the time I did know nothing about what Americans used for a piano=20
hammer, and soon I noticed that many US techs (list subscribers) had=20
complaints about their so called "Renner Blues", because they thought=20
that these hammers were too hard and un-giving.
I can be a pretty naive guy, so unfortunately I got into a discussion=20
on this list about hammers. (Actually, almost all my e-mails to this=20
list were/are about hammers, felt and voicing)
I did not know what kind of hammers those Renner Blues hammers were,=20
and I remember clearly that I said so.
I also told the colleagues on this list many times, that if they were=20
unhappy about their hammers, they should do something about it because=20=

I certainly was/am not able to help them.
I have in fact stated that many times over and over again and I now=20
understand, and know for a fact, that those Renner Blues were regular=20
Wurzen hammers, the same ones Samick (and others) had at the time.
So of course, there was a difference between the hammers I spoke of,=20
and the hammers you Americans receive(d) over there.

About two years ago, I got into contact with the director/owner of the=20=

Wurzen factory, Mr. J. Brand.
Mr. Brand invited me and my business partner to come for a visit, and=20
he very genereously gave us about 7 hours ! of his time.
During that visit, we all got very enthusiastic about future piano=20
related projects and it was then that we asked him to first make for us=20=

a distinct improvement of the punchings Schimmel already had used=20
silently for years. We also talked about many other promising and very=20=

important felt items we could develop with mutual efforts, felt items=20
we now see on the market, or will see on the market in the near future.
btw, for those who may be after my public humiliation... I never=20
claimed that I have invented the white front punchings... They have=20
been around already for much longer you know...
I have found them a long time ago already in very old French piano's.
The front punching I launched, however, are my babies, because they are=20=

the very first conical Wurzen felt punchings ever.
Besides, Schimmel may have had non-conical front punchings for years,=20
they never ever mentioned them, while I tested these amazing new felt=20
punchings and started to write about it immediately.
Nowadays, the new conical front punchings are a very hot item with=20
outstanding results.
(Only real dumbo's will continue to sputter their tiny mutterings, and=20=

will always find a way to tear off a little wing here and there.....)

Then, at about the same time, there was the introduction of the AA=20
Wurzen felt, and it was then that I got into contact with Mr. Negron of=20=

Ronsen hammers.
It was I who introduced mr. Negron to this Wurzen felt, and, because he=20=

obviously makes the very best American hammers, so many of you now also=20=

buy Ronsen's Wurzen hammers.

After all what has happened, and after all the energy and inspiration I=20=

have put into this felt issue, I get very tired and especially very=20
un-inspired when I read that - "we have now nothing new or magical that=20=

we haven't had access to for years" .

That is quite untrue...

Bringing back the old and high quality "Weickert Filz" through years=20
and years of research, money investment and raw energy is a MAJOR score=20=

for Mr. Brand.
Bringing the conical Wurzen punching (now made of a superior felt=20
quality!!) into existence, and writing an article for the PTG Journal=20
has cost me an incredible amount of energy but has given me at the same=20=

time much inspiration and renewed vigor.

Would any of you dare to suggest that the AA Wurzen hammer lovers and=20
the conical front punching lovers are liars?

I would certainly not do that...
What has happened IS new and IS magical, and it was not there 10 years=20=

ago.

A. Oorebeek



On 22-jun-05, at 1:27, Greg Newell wrote:

> I guess my unstated point was that we have now nothing new or magical=20=

> that we haven't had access to for years.
>
> Greg Newell
>
>
> At 05:22 PM 6/21/2005, you wrote:
>> That's my understanding.  How you press them and the amount of heat=20=

>> used
>> will make a difference in how they sound and how they need to be
>> treated.
>>
>> David Love
>> davidlovepianos@comcast.net
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On
>> Behalf Of Greg Newell
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2005 12:35 PM
>> To: pianotech@ptg.org
>> Subject: Wurzen felt
>>
>> List,
>>          I recently attended the "Renner All Stars" class at the
>> national
>> convention. There I had the opportunity to ask for opinions on the =
new
>> Wurzen felt. It was my impression from this list that the Wurzen felt
>> was
>> only available from Ray Negron at Ronson hammers in these United=20
>> States.
>>
>> Rick Baldassin insisted that Renner Blues have used Wurzen felt for=20=

>> over
>> a
>> decade. Any comments?
>>
>> Greg Newell
>> Greg's piano Fort=E9
>> mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net

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