[pianotech] choice of hammers

[David Love]

While this was addressed to Dale let me comment FWIW.  Of course the choice
for your own piano is yours but just to offer a different opinion on your
assessment of hammers generally, they do change in the first 100 or so hours
of playing.  I don't know if I would choose the word "mature" but they
change and the change is always one which produces a louder and somewhat
brighter tone.  Of course it depends on how it's played.  A five year old
child tinkering around is not likely to change it much, a more forceful
player will.  That's why factories use pounders, among other things.  While
the goal for some factories is to choose an out of the box hammer that can
be brought to the showroom floor in a state which emphasizes power over
other considerations (as is the Japanese aesthetic model-and that's not a
criticism, just a statement) that still doesn't mean that they won't change
over the first 100 or so hours of playing.  I can't tell you the number of
times that customers have called me after various after market hammers have
been installed on their pianos complaining that the piano sounded just fine
right at first but within a short period of time became strident and harsh.
I can also say, having put on many sets of "softer" out of the box hammers,
that while they started underneath the desired level within a relatively
short period of time they achieved a level that the players found very
desirable and moreover remained much more stable having been played in to
that level rather than forcing them to start there without adequate play in
time.  So, a different experience for me altogether but I guess that's why
they make chocolate and vanilla.   

 

David Love

www.davidlovepianos.com

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Brian Wilson
Sent: Saturday, December 05, 2009 3:46 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] choice of hammers

 

Dale,
I don't believe there is a hearing loss problem. I know what I am after with
tonality, especially with my own piano. And, I might have enough musical
knowledge to know that some after market hammers are weak in tone... and
they never improve. So that means to me that at some musical level the
hammer will not be satisfactory. Yes, thanks to Messrs Suzuki, Yamamoto,
Haruda and Goka from Kawai in Hamamatsu, I know what my piano can produce. I
know the building process and the voicing processes. I have also replaced
hammers with factory duplicates, and I have never needed to let the hammer
mature. My clients would find this unacceptable. Fitting and voicing, and
follow up service. And btw a few other factories do the same. I wanted a
better quality hammer other than ordering Kawai originals.
As per a balanced tone spectrum, all I can add is that if it is easy to play
softly and difficult to play loudly, there is a voicing issue. New pianos in
factories also do not have this problem. At the present time, the original
hammers are not too hard, considering I can remember the sounds from my
training in Japan. I could also go to the local Kawai dealer and compare the
two pianos.. and they are very similiar. I  am replacing the butts because
the synthetic leather on the butt and catcher is unsatisfactory, causing
regulation problems. Might as well replace the hammers I thought.
 
I asked the list for a recommended quality hammer. Your opinions may be
different to mine, and I respect that, but choosing to write "verbiage about
power etc" is not respectful to me.
Regards
Brian




-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20091205/db861264/attachment.htm>