Hammer felt and hammer makers

[antares]

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On 15-mei-04, at 15:59, Erwinspiano@aol.com wrote:

> =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0The Andre - The acknowledged Wurzen felt champion
> =A0Friendly greetings to you. Good post

Thank you Dale.
> =A0=A0
>  The more I read about this issue, the more I come to the conclusion
>  that:
> There is actually a discussion going on between the inhabitants of two
>  different continents, The USA and Europe.
> For some reason, there has been created a difference in the making of
> hammers. I do not know why.
>

> >> They may be different but the Wurzen felt on both continents I=20
> believe are getting a bit closer in design. & that's OK

I think it is  very good development and probably only possible with=20
the aid of this list, as pianotech is the perfect place for exchange of=20=

knowledge and experience.
I have the feeling that the development of felt and hammers is=20
expanding rapidly and it is a logical and natural development because=20
it is high time for all of us to be able to get the very best hammers=20
and hammer felt.
It is all the more interesting if we delve a little into the history of=20=

felt making and thus hammer making, and see how, because of the=20
oppression of the former USSR, a factory at its zenith of felt making,=20=

was forced to stop the production. This meant that for many years, a=20
few generations had to work with felt of a lesser quality to which they=20=

had to adapt their technique.
I am a typical example of a technician, who was trained in the felt,=20
available after the 50's, plus the Royal George felt because I started=20=

working for Yamaha (as a freelancer) and during the same time (the=20
90's) got a chance to get familiar with Wurzen felt after the=20
re-introduction in the beginning of the 90's.
The latest AA quality is definitely a high point in the development of=20=

hammer felt and it should be made known to all technicians world wide.
Let it also be known that I own no stocks in Wurzen, nor do I make any=20=

money for my promotional work. My words here are purely an account of=20
my experience as a voicing tech with the very best stuff we have at=20
this moment.
>
> This difference in making hammers and at the same time making use of
> separate felt markets, has created different methods in making hammer
>  felt, hammer heads, and ultimately a different piano sound.
> Roughly speaking, we may now say that there are piano's with doped
>  hammers, and there are piano's with non doped hammers.
> Both continents make use of a kind of hammer dope, but the difference
>  in the use of said hammer dopes is caused by the different felt=20
> makers,
>  the different hammer makers and finally the difference in sound,
>  favored by the different kind of pianists, depending in which=20
> continent
>  they live.
> =A0=A0

>  > I believe this is accurate
>
> For years, I have spoken about an old/new felt that came back after
>  more than 40-50 years. It is of course the Wurzen felt, brought back=20=

> to
> us by Jack Brand, the owner/director of the Wurzen factory in Wurzen,
>  Germany.
> Together with Richard Brekne we explored the latest AA Wurzen quality
>  on an older Yamaha C3 grand. I dare say the fine result we achieved=20=

> was
>  most certainly due to the improved quality of the hammer felt.
> At the same time, we now see that very same felt being sold in the US
>  and Canada, and we notice that that very same felt is treated in a
> completely different way, namely with hammer dope.>>=A0=A0

>  >> I feel the need to clarify a point of fact about this statement.=20=

> Our discussion of juicing hammers may I have lead some to believe that=20=

> the Ronsen Hammers always need to be treated & that's simply not=20
> true.(or stwy hammers for that matter)=A0For the sound I want =
typically=20
> some sets(Ronsen) require a small amount of needling in the middle=20
> octave to open the sound.=A0For my ear I like a thin solution in the=20=

> bass(but not always)=A0but the tenor & trebles are usually left alone=20=

> except light filing and ironing.=A0Most of this experience has been =
with=20
> the Abel felt.=A0

To me personally, that is good news because it  is exactly how I think=20=

it should be (a limited amount of needling and a limited use of juice)
The difficulty however lies in the process of hammer making : it is=20
very difficult for a hammer maker to make hammers exactly conform the=20
wishes and demands of the customer.
That explains the continual slight difference between one set and the=20
next one.
According to my experience, I need hammers that require some cushion=20
making, with the possibility of a rich battery, to have a full palette=20=

of tonal colors.

>  =A0=A0 The Wurzen felt is another story & I personally have only=20
> installed one set so far & am waiting to install a few more sets=20
> before an accurate assessment can be made. However I can tell by=20
> examining the sets on hand that we have something special & am eager=20=

> to have more experience soon.

Salut to Ray Negron!


> For what its worth I'm not sure its as clear cut as your above=20
> statement but the acceptance of juicing hammer in the States is more=20=

> common for sure.

As a non-native, it is hard for me to get a clear picture. All I know=20
about this matter, is derived from this list, and thus from a handful=20
of subscriber, because the vast majority of list subscribers chooses to=20=

lurk in utter silence. (what a pity they never open their 'mouths',=20
this list could be even more interesting).

> =A0=A0
>  =A0=A0Friendly =A0Yankee regards
> =A0=A0=A0 Dale Erwin
>
> It shows clearly that we can have a discussion for sure, but methods
>  differ, and tastes too.
> How can we talk about a difference in taste?
> =A0=A0=A0=A0

> Candidly with respect.

And so be it!

(; >))
>
>
>
friendly greetings
from
Andr=E9 Oorebeek

Amsterdam -
The Netherlands

0031-20-6237357
0645-492389
0031-75-6226878
www.concertpianoservice.nl
www.grandpiano.nl

"where music is, no harm can be"

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