<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: [CAUT] Steinway hammer spec.</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> Dave, You are correct about the measurement from centerline-to-centerline.  To be precise on the angled hammers one would have to measure both sides and calculate the difference (nit-picking or splitting hairs).  Five inches is awfully short; I doubt that there would be much impact to moving the bass hammers out.  I did run into a new Stwy. B a couple of years ago that had hammers glued at 5-1/16” all the way across.  I actually put new spare shanks on the bass and tenor sections and glued hammers on further out, because I was getting some really odd harmonics.  I tried just moving the frame in at the bass side but it actually made a noticeable gap in front (wide at bass to very narrow at no.88).  They worked great where they were in the treble sections.  Moving the hammers out in the bass end did strengthen the fundamental, but can cause hammer spacing and alignment problems. Sounds like a good idea to glue on samples and test for proper intonation.  Remember to check the tolerance between the front of the keyboard (and key fronts with key depressed) and the key slip, so you will know how much adjustment you can make with the end-block plates (re-positioning the keyboard).  One of the nice things about piano work, always something to challenge the old noodle, eh my friend? Good Luck! Craig Craig Waldrop, RPT Baylor School of Music Craig_waldrop@baylor.edu On 6/6/06 2:43 PM, "Porritt, David" <dporritt@mail.smu.edu> wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE>I know that Steinway glues their hammers to the shanks at 5-1/8”. Where is that measured???  I had always thought it was from the center pin to the mid-line of the hammer.  I’m putting on new hammers on a D and the treble hammers are 5” from center pin to mid-line, and it tapers to even shorter at the bass end.     I’m going to leave the treble hammers at 5” or I’ll run into action placement problems, however the tails of the bass hammers are pretty close to the wippen (OK repetition!) and I’d like to move them out to be the same as the treble hammers.  Can anyone see a problem waiting to happen here?  In the morning (when the key bushing glue is dry) I’m going to dry fit samples to try them but I thought I’d check with the combined wisdom of the list.   Thanks!   dave   __________________________ David M. Porritt, RPT Meadows School of the Arts Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275 dporritt@smu.edu <a href="mailto:dporritt@smu.edu"><mailto:dporritt@smu.edu></a>   </BLOCKQUOTE> </BODY> </HTML>