Hi Fred, When I first started here at UNL, we were given a nice Steinway L from 1932.  I gave it a major rehab, got a new board and pin-block, etc etc.  Since we were fully stocked with enough grands, this gave me an opportunity to take out one of the Baldwin R's replacing it with the Steinway, and now have a "loaner" grand.  If I need to rebuild a piano during the academic year, I can do so except for concert instruments and piano faculty B's.  Those are strictly summer projects :>) I plan on trying different hammers on different practice grands until I feel more confident knowing which hammer works best for a particular piano. I've never, for instance, worked with Ronson, Hamburg S&S hammers, and a number of other hammers I hear lots about. I haven't replaced too many hammers as of yet in my very fast 5 years here, so this is still a fascinating learning stream I've been following.  Actually, I think I started this whole topic under a different name (bum set of NY Steinway hammers), and it morphed into a number of off-shoots.  Like you, I have been using Wally (Abel) Naturals and Renner nearly exclusively and have a good feel for how to work them.  The NY Steinway hammers were my first set, hence my massive stress out level working with them. With all your good advice, folks, I'm more confident working with the NY hammers, but unfortunately, it will have to wait until summer! Paul <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td>From: <td>Fred Sturm <fssturm@unm.edu> <tr valign=top> <td>To: <td>caut@ptg.org <tr valign=top> <td>Date: <td>03/04/2011 11:17 AM <tr valign=top> <td>Subject: <td>Re: [CAUT] Fwd:  Steinway sound-Hammer weights</table> <hr noshade> On Mar 3, 2011, at 7:40 PM, David Love wrote: So on a Steinway D what is your voicing down hammer of choice? I have simply used Steinway D hammers and lacquered them for the Ds under my care, thus far, and I am happy with the results, as are my "clients." I use any number of different hammers for Bs and smaller, and haven't come upon any that I can't work with (mostly Abel and Renner products), though some are easier to work with than others. I don't have the time to change out hammers all that often, and certainly don't have "time to waste" on them, as in experimenting and then deciding that set didn't work and changing them out. It has to work, period. (I have plenty of money for parts, just not enough time to put them on and set them up - and they have to be ready to go when the fall semester starts, little down time). Regards, Fred Sturm <a href=mailto:fssturm@unm.edu>fssturm@unm.edu</a> "We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same." - Carlos Casteneda