Voicing new Yamaha Hammers

[John Gunderson]

Okay, with all the chips in, I'm going to go with needle voicing this
time.  I need to respect the wishes of the manufacturer.  I have used
both steam and rubbing alcohol to voice very hard "pingy" hammers in the
past with excellent, long-lasting results.   For Those of you who say
that steam voicing produces  inconsistant result I would argue that
point.  The hammers need about twenty hours of playing to "break in"
again after the use of steam or alcohol, then they can be touched up
with filing and some needling if necessary.  But the results can be
dramatic and it does last (unlike shallowing needling across the crown
which packs right up in no time and you back to square one).  Another
point worth making is that needling a hammer does break down the
integrity of the felt fibers in the hammer,  too much needling can
destroy the hammer (then all you have left is supertone, thank you).
But I stray from my initial purpose....

I would appreciate any input/advice on deep-needling.  What type of
needles should I use, what size, how many in the tool, and how many jabs
and where.  Thanks to all for you advice.  It is helpful and
appreciated.

John Gunderson, Associate Member, North Jersey Chapter