More on The All new Ronsen hammer!!

[Erwinpiano]

Hey Paul
 Long time no see!  Good to see you posting up .The post to David Love as to
the ronsen hammer question  listed my E - mail incorrectly. The address is
Erwinpiano@ msn.com  and the post was made 1/21/01 .  You can find it in
archives or if you'd  like a copy of that post which will most likely answer
your questions as to quality,voicing procedures and more I'd be glad to fax
it if you send me a fax no.  I would like to make a couple of further points
since on the subject .  I really feel the RONSEN product has been or is
currently grossly under rated.  My own personel business philosophy is one
that trys to support suppliers and people who are inextricably linked with
my own efforts to produce a quality product.  Ronsen is one such supplier.
Although I understand that Ronsen has had there share of ups as downs over
the yrs in the quality dept. it would be  simply
your loss not to try them.  For all those that have suggested that they
would not use them in a quality pianos are missing an oppurtunity to produce
a vintage steinway/ mason hamlin quality of sound .In fact all of the
steinways in our shop have received the  german felted Ronsen hammers and
have been for the last four yrs.  Have likely installed 40 sets in
steinways.  Yes I know there  are other hammers out there that are more
widely marketed and yes I know Everyone has there prefrence( and this is
mine) But we find that in our shop we can produce that classic steinway
sound in a fraction of the time it was taking with all of the others and I
did'nt have a blown out elbow from ridiculous amounts of needle work.
     I learned recently that Ronsen also carries The American felt which it
has been using in a limited way.  This felt is the same company that
Steinway used for decades but no longr (to the best of my knowledge) It was
/is the felt that many loved/hated  but I do understand that the concet
techs. loved  it and were dis appointed at its disuse . I have order ed up a
set  to try even though I know they will likely need more juicing.   However
anyone who has been paying attention has heard glorious sounding  Steinway
pianos with this felt application.  Yes more work   But very versitle and
very full of tone color .    Yes and many of these were overdowsed with
laquer and we  hate all them in that condition  uugghhhh
     Recent used  14lb. german felt in mint condition Steinway M .  I
applied the usual prep. procedure Weight matching ,, boring coving,tapering
etc.
After installation reg. tuning I spent appox. 30 min. voicing . The cool
thing about this was that the original hammers were  barely worn but on
vertigreed part and they sounded well you know good . In all candor I have
to say the new replacement set was incredibly similar in sound to  the
originals but more refined . It was about as close to an A. B. comparison as
a tech can get .
     Just completed a Mason A using the 16 lb. german felt and the outcome
also similar.  In this case I juiced the bass as described in previous post
and spent 20 min. needling from not 40 up And I was there!
  enough for now , and No I'm not a salesman just happy to find a product
that produces great results with out the gnashing of teeth.
  Sincerely  Dale Erwin