Ronsen Bacon felt

[David Love]

Mark/David/Dale:

 

The quandary of how the piano sounds at the bench versus in the audience is
not uncommon.  Concert instruments in largish halls often don't sound that
good from the bench because they must be set up in order to project to the
back row of the auditorium.  Inexperienced pianists sometimes don't know how
to deal with this.  The answer, therefore, depends on the primary purpose
for the piano.  In this case, I would leave well enough alone.  In the
church the primary audience are those out in the church, not the pianist,
and the voice of the piano should be set up with them in mind.  Pianists who
might find the voice too edgy should be addressed by reminding them who the
piano was set up for.  Were the piano in your living room where you the
player are the primary audience, I would have considered a different hammer,
different voicing outcome or both.

 

In response to David A's question, the Ronsen Bacon hammer will not likely
produce the "pop" you are seeking-at least not on the pianos you are working
with.  On a soundboard designed with a very light string and rib scale you
could get that kind of pop out this hammer.  On a more traditional style SB
assembly you won't, at least not without some juicing which somewhat defeats
the purpose of using that hammer to begin with.   As someone who targets a
warmer, somewhat darker sound as my default setting, the hammer generally is
a good choice for my needs.  The somewhat firmer Ronsen Wurzen accomplishes
what I want with slightly heavier assemblies, scale tensions or when I need
a bit more projection.  Occasionally, a firmer hammer than that might be
called for on a heavy assembly with a high tension scale (such as a concert
instrument) or in a large hall where the attack needs to be even sharper.
In those cases I'm inclined to choose the Abel Select or Renner depending on
the piano.  I don't believe in a one hammer fits all approach.  I prefer to
choose the hammer which most closely achieves my target with the least
amount of manipulation.  That is not going to be the same hammer for every
application.  The dictates of the venue which outline the tonal target
combined with the particulars of each soundboard and string scale will
determine selection.  

 

David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net
www.davidlovepianos.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Mark Potter
Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2007 1:15 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: Ronsen Bacon felt

 

David Andersen <david at davidandersenpianos.com> wrote:

My only question with "soft" hammers is that my artist clients seem to need
a certain kinesthetic "pop" when the note is struck to feel comfortable that
the piano is projecting properly, and sometimes mellow, dark, more
fundamental-sounding pianos, pianos set up and voiced in a "softer" mode, do
not give that "pop" that makes the player feel good.

Does that make any sense?

 

David, et al -

 

Makes perfect sense to me!

 

This is an interesting, timely subject.  Three months ago I delivered a
1920's Mason & Hamlin BB to a rather large church on which I had installed,
among other extensive work (including restringing), Abel Concert grand
hammers.  I have to say that this piano projects better than any piano I
have encountered in 30 years, with a very robust, lush, round tone.  It's
just magnificent, when you are in the audience !  However, I had the
occasion to perform on this piano this past weekend for a music showcase,
and I must admit that from the player's standpoint, the piano lacks the
presence that it projects to the audience.  Although I have not received any
complaints from the 3-4 regular players there (and 2 of them are quite
accomplished) it was very noticeable to me, and one of the other performers
that evening mentioned it too.  

 

This is not a hammer I consider overly soft, by any means, but that is the
perception AS THE PLAYER.  I welcome any input as to how to remedy this
quandry, as I am hesitant to make any significant voicing changes to a
hammer that sounds so wondrous to the listener that is more than 15 feet
away.

 

Any ideas?  My first impulse is to do some more judicious shaping & fine
sanding, as these hammers are rather generous in the amount of felt they
offer.  Still, it would be a crime to alter this singing tone to any
significant degree...

 

Mark Potter

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