hammer felt (Renner Blues)

[David Love]

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Isaac:

When you say didn't respond to voicing in the shoulders, do you mean to =
open up the tone, or to make more power by needling from down below?

When you say no tension, did you find the hammers dead sounding? =20

It's not been my experience generally. =20

The importance of the staple is somewhat controversial.  There are those =
who argue that it adds tension to the lower part of the hammer and those =
who say it doesn't make any difference.  The Renner blue is, of course, =
without a staple.  =20

David Love
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Isaac OLEG=20
  To: Pianotech=20
  Sent: September 21, 2002 3:33 PM
  Subject: RE: hammer felt (Renner Blues)


  David
  The one I had did not really respond to voicing in the shoulders, as =
being too mushy there. May be with a few deep stitches from the start it =
could gain some more active resilience.=20
  As it was the tension was almost none, but very nice felt indeed.

  Renner use this felt since a few years, and I believe actually on all =
their hammers. The problem they have is that the molding they buy (I =
understand that they don't do that themselves) are more stiffer than =
before, and they don't like to make hammers with that sharp wooden =
molding as in some Steinway, Bechstein, etc.

  I suspect that the Wurzen Felt, being softer, is more prone to be =
damaged if forced on a sharp molding. Beside, of course they would hate =
to break the moldings in the gluing process, and that is more the case =
with thin moldings of course.
  Nowadays, All actual hammers, for Steinways, and other makes, are =
generally thicker wood, and this felt that techs are often wondering how =
to treat.

  But of course "nothing never changed " will be told you if you ask.


  I had to needle a C1 hammer (on a Yamaha G2) , and indeed 30 stitches =
was the maximum in the medium (for first voicing), a bit too much near =
the break. In the treble I begin to voice at 9:30, but finally was =
obliged to go back from the low regions, as the strength was not enough.

  I will see that again after a bit of playing, I guess the natural =
sound of this felt is enough as it is, not really crisp, mellow and =
round but forcefully enough.
  It will be clearer in time, but not at all as the tone of the old =
Yamaha hammers, so metallic, I for sure like it better (and C1 C2 hammer =
assembly for Yamahas are cheap (around $430).

  Regards and good Sunday

  Isaac OLEG
    -----Message d'origine-----
    De : pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]De =
la part de David Love
    Envoy=E9 : samedi 21 septembre 2002 18:08
    =C0 : Pianotech
    Objet : Re: hammer felt


    According to a fairly recent conversation I had with Lloyd Meyer, =
Renner blues are Wurzen felt.  The Renner blue is somewhat softer than =
its European counterpart.  Where Andre is needing 30 stitches in the =
tenor, a Renner blue will need considerably less.

    David Love


    ----- Original Message -----=20
      From: Erwinspiano@aol.com=20
      To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
      Sent: September 21, 2002 8:06 AM
      Subject: Re: hammer felt


      In a message dated 9/21/2002 1:32:12 AM Pacific Daylight Time, =
antares@euronet.nl writes:



        Subj:hammer felt=20
        Date:9/21/2002 1:32:12 AM Pacific Daylight Time
        From:antares@euronet.nl
        Reply-to:pianotech@ptg.org
        To:pianotech@ptg.org
        Sent from the Internet=20

                 Antares


                  I believe the only hammer like this in America cost =
about 800 dollars and it is sold by the Steinway factory. I heard a =
couple of sample hammers in a piano and I confess I was impressed. But =
two hammers is not really a fair assesment for me however  my friend has =
used a couple of sets on larger steinways and he loved the sounds. But =
800 bucks is to rich for my blood. What do these hammers cost in Europe? =
If it's less than half of 800 I'll try a set.
      Regards
          Dale Erwin



        And then I say (speaking from a long time experience) :

        Try the Renner hammers with Wurzen felt.
        I don't know about the 'Renner blues' made for the US market =
(maybe they are
        made with lower tension because of your (American) way with =
hammer dopes)
        but at least here in Europe the Renner hammers (with Wurzen) are =
the very
        best hammers available and you find them on B=F6sendorfers, =
Bechsteins,
        Steinways and  other well known piano makers.
        Yamaha uses Wurzen on their CFIIIS and these days even Samick in =
Seoul buys
        Wurzen felt.

        The Renner Wurzen hammers we use have the following =
characteristics :

        Nice, even tone from the beginning.
        Middle section needs some voicing and opening up (usually around =
30
        strokes).
        Lower bass hammers, usually the first octave, need battery =
voicing (driving
        up the powers from the base of the hammers).
        Higher treble hammers (from c''' to c'''') need battery voicing.
        The highest treble hammers, usually the last 5 or 6 hammers, =
need some dope
        to give them a little more 'ping'.

        Just yesterday, I voiced an older baby Grotrian Steinweg grand =
with these
        Renner hammers and it took me about 1 hour and 15 minutes to =
needle them,
        file them, clean them up and apply the dope.

        Result :
        A nice, warm and even sounding Grotrian Steinweg baby with a =
'ping' in the
        high treble.

        By looking closely at the fibers of the Wurzen felt, and =
especially on the
        sides, we clearly see that this felt is not just a dense, stone =
hard,
        lifeless piece of felt. On the contrary, it almost seems like it =
was woven
        like a beautiful and very expensive Kashmir shawl and after =
hearing the
        result, we can understand why, in the earlier days, the great =
piano makers
        in Europe used this felt.
        Now that the Eastern part of Germany has been added to its =
former halve, the
        factory has opened again, continuing to make what they had to =
temporarily
        stop a long time ago.

        friendly greetings
        from

        Antares,

        Amsterdam, Holland

        "where music is, no harm can be"

        visit my website at :  http://www.concertpianoservice.nl/





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