<!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 6.00.2900.2963" 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><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV><BR><BR>Ric wrote<BR>> If you need a BIG sound, you need to go to a bigger (heavier) hammer and<BR>> you will need to make sure the leverage of the instrument can handle your<BR>> choice. Ok.. thats a statement as if of fact... and I know there are folks<BR>> who dispute the mass/soundlevel conection.  But my experience is such.<BR><BR>I would like to hear more about the mass/sound level connection.  What would <BR>be the heaviest SW you've ever gone with?  (Yeah, I know it has to work with <BR>the rest of the action geometry.)  I can't remember from the last time I was <BR>testing parts on a D.  How much help (or not) was a bigger knuckle?<BR><BR>Barbara<BR><BR>       <STRONG><EM>  Hi Barbara</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>          Ric's point about heavier hammers is well taken but IMO most of the volume increase will be from about note 52 down to the bottom & generally the hammer will need to be stiffer to produce similar high partial blend to a more usual/normal weight hammer. The reason is it will take more time for the kinetic energy to be released into the string & more time for the hammer to reverse directions & this can be a real tone killer in the treble octaves. Ie. I don't like using more than a 6 gram hammer on C-64 in general.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>    Otherwise with the heavier hammer the sound can be come too fundamental laden.  But it's just a voicing issue.  Too heavy a hammer  in the treble means more potential due to damping by the hammer, as the fundamental created by the initial pulse wave gets back to the hammer before it leaves the string.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  I personally like the shine that shows up in the overall tone with the presence of even a small amount of lacquer in the hammers.  I'm installing a les stiff set of Renner blues in a 70's Hamburg D presently & I know that they need & will easily tolerate a thin solution of Laquer acetone or keytop & plastic.  <U> I will</U> get the tone I want.  </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>    BTW The original Renner  hammers tend to be a pretty beefy hammer weight wise. If you want to know I'll send the specs later along with the action ratio.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Regards</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Dale<BR></EM></STRONG>><BR>>    Hmm, I was actually wondering about the power issue, since I've<BR>>    heard more<BR>>    than once concerns about Renner hammers cutting through the<BR>>    orchestra in a<BR>>    bigger hall.  I've never heard of a problem with a Hamburg Steinway<BR>>    being<BR>>    heard.  There is a possibility that I *may* have another big, not as<BR>>    big,<BR>>    but still big, dead hall to try to fill.  :)  Since I hear oo-la-las<BR>>    about<BR>>    Hamburg Steinway pianos (Yes, I understand that this is a NY piano) and<BR>>    groaning about the hammers coming out of NY, I thought I'd test out<BR>>    Hamburg<BR>>    hammers as another possibility.</DIV> <DIV> <STRONG><EM> Actually I find the Hammers coming out the factory to be quite good right now.  I just installed a set in a 70's B that were pretty much instant music after shaping to a serpintine shape & the usual weight prepping for an even strike weights. I have added very samll amounts of juice in the treble & the sound is lush fat & rich. Not clangy & thin.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM></EM></STRONG><BR>><BR>><BR>>    Barbara Richmond, RPT<BR>>    near Peoria, IL<BR>></FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>