Hearing problems/hard hammers

Erwinspiano@aol.com Erwinspiano@aol.com
Wed, 7 Sep 2005 22:38:21 EDT


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Horace 
   right on advice. I'm at the phase of my life  where this kind of call 
would a have been a simple open invitation to do a  hammer transplant instead of 
all the diddling around we try to do only to find  the results largely 
unsuccessful. NO offense Barabara , I know you /we aim to  please.
  Unsuccessful Primarily because of the petrified felt  hammers to begin 
with. In my practice I start over with the Ronsen tone  producing hammers(Wurzen) 
with the same caveat that Horace mentioned as to some  soundboard systems 
needing a bit firmer /stiffer hammer to get the tone  going. Stiff hammer equals 
stiff soundboard system. However I've yet to use  a set of the Wurzen that 
didn't' get what I wanted with proper filing , string  to hammer mating & in some 
cases dilute amounts of  lacquer/whatever
   Barbara In these cases l do a thoro explanation  of how & why certain 
hammers have the charachteristics they do. This is  usually  a simple excersise in 
basic & compassionate salesman ship  & it gives the client what they really 
need / want without all  the  chemical & needling gymnastics which more often 
than not ends in  failure. Yes & who pays for the non effective results? Hmm . 
YOu? Me? Yes in  our gracious & unbusiness like way we often volunteer to eat 
the intial cost  of the failed efforts.   
   I don't know but you 'all but of donated plenty  & could frankly use more 
of MY  time to wander thru the forrest......  which I did last week !!!    !
   Regards
   Dale Erwin

Does it  work...well...yes...most times there will be a noticeable  
improvement...sometimes, depending on how badly damaged the hammers were to  start 
with, you can save the cost of a new set of hammers.  The whole  operation does 
not take significant amounts of time in one sitting.   Rather several hours 
spaced out over a day or so, and can thus be fit in with  other work.

FWIW, most Seilers come with hammers that are not  only too hard to begin 
with.  They also seem to be hardened at the  factory (with what seems like 
lacquer) to a point that is  indefensible.  So, you are dealing not only with 
whatever the other  technician applied; but also whatever was done at the 
factory/dealer to begin  with.  I would like to recommend the Wurzen hammers to start 
with; and do  so with the caveat that there are some instruments/makers/models 
which seem to  require a harder hammer to get much going in the way of sound.   
YMMV.

Good luck.

Best.

Horace





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