Dave, Mark, et al, I absolutely concur with the following - with the caveat so appropriately noted by David, i.e.: "Then treated properly..." Like so much else, this is a question of the whole being more than the sum of its parts. Best, and have a great weekend. Horace At 09:12 AM 2/14/97 -0500, you wrote: >>I recently put Abel hammers on a B with great results. But there is no >>sound like Steinway hammers voiced to their fullest. I have renewed awe >>for the brand, and am very thankful for all the information that you >>people put on this forum! It is a great resource. >>Mark Graham > >I echo Mark's support for the NY Steinway Hammer. When treated properly >they are the best hammer in the world and embody the qualities in my >favorite voicing quote: > >"The art in hammer making has ever been to obtain a solid, > firm foundation, graduating in softness and elasticity toward > the top surface, which latter has to be silky and elastic in > order to produce a mild, soft tone for pianissimo playing, but > with sufficient resistace back of it to permit the hard blow of > fortissimo playing." - Alfred Dolge 1911 > > >An interesting note. A hammer is the felt and the felt is the fiber. Long >renowned in felt making circles is the wool fiber from South African Merino >Sheep. The finest, most resilient felt is produced from blends that have a >high percentage of this fiber. > >For decades South African wool fiber has been generally absent from piano >hammers produced with felt made by countries who joined in the embargos on >the previously racist regime. With the uplifting change in politics and the >lifting of embargos, South African Merino Wool Fiber is once again used in >Steinway hammers. This information is from the president of the Bacon Felt >Co. in Taunton Mass. who produce hammer felt for Stenway, not to far from my >home on Martha's Vineyard. > >David C. Stanwood > > > Horace Greeley Ars langa, Vita brevis Stanford University email: hgreeley@leland.stanford.edu voice mail: 415.725.9062 LiNCS help line: 415.725.4627
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