<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV> <DIV>In a message dated 3/5/2006 9:21:09 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, Erwinspiano writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV><FONT size=3>  Hi Dean</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3> Well the statement you make on the bottom of your post is usually the problem.  I have voiced or replaced hammers in many older & newer Kawai & Yamaha pianos & had tremendous improvements in tone.  As is the case in so many pianos with the harder pressed version of hammers, without out voicing, sustain will always be short & the tone an imitation of the sound of shattering glass.........., unless I sell a voicing job.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>    Some pianos I've serviced have been tonally so bad that <STRONG>IF </STRONG>after a couple attempts at moving the client towards voicing without success, I have  politely suggested they perhaps they find someone else & also that I'm trying to protect my hearing from the excessive DBs these pianos produce.  A bold move?... yes & but rarely does the client go elsewhere.  The cleint doen't realize what's possible.  An A-B  voicing demonstration is often the best sales tool to share tonal changes with our clients & let them hear what's possible. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>  By the way I have replaced hammers in many old Kawai 500 series pianos, KG-2's, GS-70 GS- 60. All with remarkable & stunning results.  Not my words but clients exclamations.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>  10 years or more ago a teacher bought her dream piano, a Kawai KG-2.  She liked it at first but then as it changed & brightened to unacceptable levels within a short time & she  thought she had truly purchased a Lemon.  After first attempting to voice some a very hard set of hammers without getting what we wanted, I put in a few Isaac hammers in & her face lit up.  She still teaches & I saw the piano last week & the voicing was perfect even after all this time & use.  I have yet to stick a single needle in these hammers.  DItto the <STRONG>exact</STRONG> same experience time after time on the GS- 60 & 70 & Yamaha C-3s, kawai 500,550 & others. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>    I saw the GS -70 recently as well & still hanging in after 12 years.  It is ready for a few minutes of needling & evening up but nothing major.  This client is  big church Power pianist, always plays to the bottom of the keys...vigorouly.  By the way many of the pianos mentioned here just to be accurate are the Isaac hammer is which are or can be softer hammers  voiced up properly with lacquer.  On other pianos they are  Ronsen Hammers. All these painos are used more than the average.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>  As you may no Heroic & extreme voicing attempts are not with in the realm of my patience any more.  If the tone <STRONG>I KNOW</STRONG> is possible & it doesnt' develop within a short amount of time,  then hammers tell me they are just to hard to achieve the lasting results & tone  I want. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>    In these cases  I'd rather the client spends the hundreds of dollars I would have spent voicing, & put it towards  a new set of hammers. The sustain & balanced tone will be long lasting & without continual re-needling & tennis elbow.  You'll be a Wizard & the good will is enormous.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>  Hope this is of value friend</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>  Dale</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000080 size=2> <P class=MsoNormal></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I don't get it. Most all of the Kawai grands I tune (which aren't that many) I don't really care much for. Since there aren't any new Kawai's being sold in this area most of the ones I encounter are 10 plus years old of the KG variety, a couple of GS, one GS-70. I don't like the sustain. With the sustain pedal on when playing an arpeggio the sound quickly fades into white noise and one cannot discern what scale was just played. I've done some experimenting even, hitting individual notes across the scale with an f blow and I get about a second of tone before there is only noise.</FONT></FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV> </SPAN><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000080 size=2><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><STRONG><EM><U>These are pianos with original hammers that have probably never had a needle stuck in them. Is this a hammer/voicing problem?</U></EM></STRONG></SPAN></FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"> <DIV> <P class=MsoAutoSig><B><FONT face="Bradley Hand ITC" color=navy size=6><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 22pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: 'Bradley Hand ITC'">Dean</SPAN></FONT></B></P> <P class=MsoAutoSig> <P class=MsoAutoSig><FONT color=navy><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"></SPAN></FONT></P><FONT face="Book Antiqua" color=#000000></FONT></FONT> <DIV><FONT lang=0 face="Book Antiqua" size=2 FAMILY="SERIF" PTSIZE="10">eereeeeerwinsErwins pianoDale Erwin--Piano Restorations<BR><STRONG>4721 Parker Rd.<BR>Modesto, Calif 95357<BR>Shop 209-577-8397<BR>cell 209-985-0990<BR></STRONG></FONT><FONT lang=0 face="Abadi MT Condensed" color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="12"><A title=http://www.erwinspiano.com/ href="http://www.erwinspiano.com/"><STRONG>http://www.erwinspiano.com/</STRONG></A></FONT><FONT lang=0 face="Book Antiqua" color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR><STRONG>Specializing in the restoration, service & Sales of<BR>Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, & other fine pianos</STRONG></FONT></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>