<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" xmlns:v = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1 = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=GENERATOR><o:SmartTagType name="PersonName" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType name="PostalCode" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType name="State" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType name="City" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType name="PlaceType" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType name="PlaceName" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType> <STYLE>@font-face { font-family: Book Antiqua; } @font-face { font-family: Tahoma; } @font-face { font-family: Informal Roman; } @page Section1 {size: 8.5in 11.0in; margin: 1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; } P.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman" } LI.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman" } DIV.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman" } P.MsoEnvelopeAddress { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 2in; FONT-FAMILY: "Book Antiqua"; mso-element: frame } LI.MsoEnvelopeAddress { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 2in; FONT-FAMILY: "Book Antiqua"; mso-element: frame } DIV.MsoEnvelopeAddress { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 2in; FONT-FAMILY: "Book Antiqua"; mso-element: frame } P.MsoEnvelopeReturn { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Book Antiqua" } LI.MsoEnvelopeReturn { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Book Antiqua" } DIV.MsoEnvelopeReturn { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Book Antiqua" } A:link { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } SPAN.MsoHyperlink { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } A:visited { COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } SPAN.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } P { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto } SPAN.EmailStyle19 { FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-style-type: personal } SPAN.EmailStyle20 { FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: navy; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; FONT-VARIANT: normal! important; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-style-type: personal-reply } DIV.Section1 { page: Section1 } </STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY lang=EN-US vLink=purple link=blue> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Are there any generic (cold-pressed/soft-pressed/perma-pressed?) hammers available (require lacquer to develop tone) for use on other brands of pianos? </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Steinways are made for Steinways, and don't seem to offer the range of weights and molding lengths for custom work with other brands.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>How are the Ronson Bacons? (harder or softer than the Wurzens?) </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>thanks,</DIV> <DIV>Mark Cramer,</DIV> <DIV>Brandon University</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>PS I've found that Steinways outlast compression type hammers as well, though I think "playing-in" Steinways is a myth. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>They simply require lacquer to develop tone, then you can get a very wide range, including mellow and warm, without the "dull."</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>To quote a client left to "play in" new Steinways for some nine years, "there are no @$^%@^$ grooves in the @#$^@%$ hammers, the grooves are all in my <A href="mailto:#@Q$%">#@Q$%</A>@^# wrists!"  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>  </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left>-----Original Message----- From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org]On Behalf Of Wolfley, Eric (wolfleel) Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 8:48 AM To: College and University Technicians Subject: Re: [CAUT] Hammer wear </DIV> <DIV class=Section1> David,<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Did you put Wurtzens on your Steinways?<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Our Steinway hammers wear fast here as well but it is because they are played significantly more hours than any others. We have 5 Steinway L’s in our locked piano major rooms and those rooms are never vacant. Unless you monitor the hours the pianos are being played I don’t think it is a fair comparison. My experience with the NY Steinway hammers is that they are the most durable and for that reason worth the extra expense when compared to Ronsens and others. Abels and the regular Ronsens are eaten up very quickly in comparison. I have just recently begun putting Ronsen Wurtzen on some <st1:place w:st="on">Baldwins</st1:place> and am happy with the tone but the verdict is still out on durability.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <DIV> Eric Wolfley, RPT Head Piano Technician Cincinnati College-Conservatory of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Music</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cincinnati</st1:place></st1:City> <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center> <HR tabIndex=-1 align=center width="100%" SIZE=2> </DIV> From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Porritt, David Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 9:16 AM To: <st1:PersonName w:st="on">College and University Technicians</st1:PersonName> Subject: [CAUT] Hammer wear<o:p></o:p></DIV> <o:p> </o:p> Wim mentioned the other day the difference in hammer wear and wondered if different pianists playing technique had anything to do with it.  <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I tried to take pictures to post, but the camera I have here doesn’t have good enough macro functions to really show good detail.  We have 2 M’s bought in 2004 that are in practice rooms.  I filed the hammers in the summer of 2005 because the grooves were deep from a year of hard use.  Also in the summer of 2005 I hung 5 sets of Ronsen Wurzen hammers on practice room pianos.  All of these get similar use.  The Wurzen hammers look like the hammers were installed last week and the NY Steinway hammers are again fairly seriously grooved.  I can only attribute that to felt density.  While they are not hard pressed, the raw felt is just denser than other hammers.  <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I’ve become a real believer!<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> dp <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> __________________________<o:p></o:p> David M. Porritt, RPT<o:p></o:p> <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Meadows</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> of the Arts<o:p></o:p> Southern <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Methodist</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p> <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Dallas</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">TX</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode w:st="on">75275</st1:PostalCode></st1:place><o:p></o:p> <A href="mailto:dporritt@smu.edu">dporritt@smu.edu</A><o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>