brightening a Yamaha

[Avery Todd]

But I'd be VERY interested to know what it sounds like in a year or
two!!!!!!!!

Avery Todd


On 7/1/07, James Beinke <beinkej at tnni.net> wrote:
>
> Just read the thread re brightening Yamaha hammers.
>
> Installed a set of Steinway hammers on a Model S in a fairly small
> apartment in Naples, FL, across the street from the Gulf. Used
> lacquer, but after 6 months the client asked for more brilliance.
> Since I also service a larger Steinway at the client's lake home in
> Michigan, I knew the sound she hoped to achieve.
>
> The following treatment took three days, since the client lived
> almost 100 miles away and I used the job as an excuse to go camping
> in the Naples area.
>
> Unwilling to dope her hammers with more lacquer, and after having
> read a great deal about alternatives, this time I used a solution of
> 1 tablespoon of ground clear plexiglass in 8 oz of acetone. I used a
> cheap metal-handled brush used for pasting or soldering. I cut the
> bristles halfway back.
>
> I applied one brush full on the striking point of each hammer (gasp!)
> The solution dries very quickly and can be tested within the hour.
> The beauty of the treatment is that the plexiglass doesn't go so
> deeply into the felt. If the hammer is too bright, simply sand the
> surface.
>
> I wasn't sure what to expect, being a "traditionalist", but I was
> completely surprised and pleased. The treatment seems much more
> exact. The very first run-through brought more brilliance without any
> harshness. Encouraged, I kept going. It took three treatments, with
> the second treatment primarily on the striking point of the top three
> octaves, and on both shoulders in the mid-section and down.
>
> The last treatment was a careful gradation from C6 down.
>
> Tone is subjective. I think one needs to have an inner ear, an inner
> idea of what constitutes a beautiful tone. What thrilled me about
> this particular endeavor is that the whole piano, especially the
> treble, began to sing and never sounded harsh, even at fortissimo.
> Very little needling had to be done, much to my surprise.
>
> As an aside: Some years ago, in a telephone call to Steinway's chief
> technician regarding voicing new hammer on a concert grand, I learned
> that special care in voicing needs to be taken at the points on both
> sides of the stringing "gaps" in the treble bridge under the plate
> girders.
>
> James Beinke
> 72 years old, still learning
>
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