<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <style>  </style> </head> <body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue style='WORD-WRAP: break-word; khtml-nbsp-mode: space;khtml-line-break: after-white-space'> <div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>But wasn’t the earlier reinforcement of the outer and lower shoulders only?  Also, wasn’t it largely to do with reinforcing the felt for purposes of a better glue joint on the molding or holding the staple better or something like that?  That’s a different thing than using the chemicals to build tone.  I have read the tone building book that Del edited (though there is a fair amount of material to cover) and I don’t know if you saw his post on this but he suggests that there is no evidence that reinforcement (certainly not of the type they are doing now--total saturation) was in practice that early.  I didn’t notice any mention of that either.  While I haven’t done the full chemical analysis, my exposure to countless sets of old hammers from that period doesn’t suggest that any chemical hardeners were in use and if so they certainly weren’t reaching anywhere on or even below the strike point.   </span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I will certainly agree about the importance, artistic demand and motivating force of developing a good tonal concept and control.</span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p> <div> <p><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:navy'>David Love<br> davidlovepianos@comcast.net<br> www.davidlovepianos.com</span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy'> </span></font></p> </div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original Message-----<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b> caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Chris Solliday<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Saturday, September 22, 2007 10:32 AM<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> </span></font><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>College and University Technicians</span></font><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'><br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [CAUT] S&S Hammers and lacquer</span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>In fact Steinway has been reinforcing hammers chemically since at least 1911. It may not have been  lacquer per se but... see the discussion in Piano Tone Building recently edited by Del Fandrich and available from The Foundation. You've got to go along way to find hammers with no reinforcement in Steinway's history. As Fred implies we can learn to work with these hammers, and frankly despite attempts at conformity and consistency every set from every manufacturer has and always will be different (such indulgent hyperbole) so you've got to learn to build tone and knock it down, both brillance and carry.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>I for one am grateful. If tone weren't such an issue I wouldn't have as strong a reason to get out of bed in the morning, and we all know what the absence of that could lead to.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Chris Solliday</span></font></p> </div> <blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt; margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt'> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>----- Original Message ----- </span></font></p> </div> <div style='font-color:black'> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;background:#E4E4E4'><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <a href="mailto:fssturm@unm.edu" title="fssturm@unm.edu">Fred Sturm</a> </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>To:</span></font></b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <a href="mailto:caut@ptg.org" title="caut@ptg.org">College and University Technicians</a> </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></font></b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Friday, September 21, 2007 7:59 PM</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></font></b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Re: [CAUT] S&S Hammers and lacquer</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p> </div> <div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>On Sep 21, 2007, at 12:30 PM, Jeff Tanner wrote:</span></font></p> </div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><br> <br> </span></font></p> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=1 color=black face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'><span style='border-spacing: 0px 0px;khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; apple-text-size-adjust: auto;orphans: 2;widows: 2;word-spacing:0px'>And so, if hammers were replaced by technicians in the field who didn't know to, didn't know how to, or chose not to use lacquer or shellac, this would explain why someone would find hammers from a NY 1920s D to not contain anything but felt.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=1 color=black face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'> </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=1 color=black face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>My question would have to be that if the ideal hammer was one that did not require lacquer -- if the sound they are looking for really required a hammer that did not require lacquer, then why spend $1 million plus <<recently>> on a new hammer press to manufacture hammers that still require lacquer? How much sense does that make?</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=1 color=black face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'> </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=1 color=black face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>Why not just call up Renner and say, hey guys, pick up production -- we're switching to your Wurzen hammers because they produce the sound we've always been searching for?</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=1 color=black face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'> </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=1 color=black face=Helvetica><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>Jeff</span></font></p> </div> </div> </span> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Hi Jeff,</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>I don't think you can argue that there was a grand design way back when (1920 or before) to create the Steinway sound via felt impregnated with hardener. I agree that they have decided today that that is the way they want to go, without excuses or regrets, but I think they got there slowly. That's what the history I have been able to gather tells me, regardless of the "official line" that "they have always been that way." That's why I included the anecdote about Franz Mohr in my earlier post. Why wouldn't the chief C & A tech be clued in if this was really a planned company policy? Franz is one of the most true blue Steinway guys around, and will tell you endlessly what a perfect instrument it is. So why would he, just a year ago or so, tell me that the reason they used lacquer in the 60s and 70s was because the hammers they had those days weren't good enough? It just doesn't add up. </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>I'm happy with current policy and production. I can work with it, and lots of pianists and techs are satisfied, regardless of other arguments. But let's not try to re-write history. </span></font></p> <div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Regards,</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Fred Sturm</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>University of New Mexico</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="mailto:fssturm@unm.edu">fssturm@unm.edu</a></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p> </div> </div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p> </div> </blockquote> </div> </body> </html>