(a first for me...) new hammers for 1927 s and s L

[David Love]

Lots of opinions and lots of experiences.  That probably tells you something
about the variability of Steinway actions and soundboard responses.
Personally, I would find the Abel Naturals too hard.  I do have a set that I
took off an older Steinway L (not my choice or original job) because the
customer really didn't like the sound-I'll sell them to you cheap :-).   The
current Steinway hammer tends to have too much lacquer in it but you can
apparently order them unlacquered and do it yourself.  Or, you can order a
set of Bacon felt hammers from Ronsen which will deliver a very similar
style tone with minimal lacquering required.   The Ronsen hammer will be (or
can be) much lighter than the Steinway hammer-different molding.

 

Weight issues are another matter and the pianos can be all over the place.
If you are keeping the original wippens you won't want to deviate too far
from the original dimensioned shanks but that can create problems and you
will have to plan the hammer weights accordingly.  Ray at Ronsen can be very
helpful here.  Some Steinway L's of that vintage have horrible leverage and
you will notice excessive key leading.  Put on a heavier hammer with
original dimensioned shanks and you will have a problem.  

 

The process of rehammering Steinways can be complicated or at least require
a lot of testing to be sure you are not getting into trouble.  Try a sample
hammer or three first if you can to be sure you're not going in a tonal
direction that neither you nor the customer want.  A very hard hammer on an
old board can sound like you're hitting the side of a garbage can with your
favorite ball pein.  Softer hammers can always be built up and with older
Steinways (or new ones for that matter) and I think that's the way to go.  

 

Contact me off list if you want to.  

 

David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net
www.davidlovepianos.com 

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