<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Well, I meant that there is lots of the original hammer left, Andre. I would imagine that it's probably pretty shot in terms of resilience and tone...still, it's interesting to see the original in this condition. Obviously there's a difference between historic museum pieces and pianos newly built for performance - but clearly it's useful to have the originals around to study, don't you agree? <DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>David Winston, the proprietor of this shop, builds copies as well as restoring old instruments, and so is well aware of the issues involved. In fact there's an original 1830's-era Schott piano in the shop now that's being restored, while alongside it a copy is being constructed. A music school has commissioned both instruments; a pretty enlightened approach, I'd say. Kind of the best of both worlds?</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Cheers,</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Allen<BR><DIV><DIV>On 8 Mar 2007, at 23:03, Concert Piano Service wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><BR><DIV><DIV>On 8-mrt-2007, at 21:50, Allen Wright wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Stephane,</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Except for some moth damage, it's remarkably well-preserved, isn't it? That looks to me like several layers of leather underneath, and then a felt layer underneath the outer felt.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">It will be interesting to see if these hammers still have decent tone after the piano is restored.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Allen</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR><SPAN><DIV><IMG_5250.jpg></DIV></SPAN><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">IMG_5250.JPG</DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>In my opinion (seen from this picture), the hammers belonging to this instrument are totally gone.</DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span">The hammer felt and leather have changed and <I>oxidized</I> over time, it does not have the same quality it had before, the hammers are worn, they look molded and eaten by insects and thus the original texture and quality has gone a long time ago.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span">What comes to my mind (no, you did not say that) that there are musicians who will say that, when they are confronted with an <I>original</I> piano forte, they now perfectly understand what Mozart meant when he wrote his music for this type of instrument.</SPAN></DIV><DIV>That is of course not true at all, because the original instrument has been been ravaged by time/ The wood is not the same anymore, it has crystallized, the fibers of the wood have changed completely and so has the elasticity.</DIV><DIV>The soundboard and the down bearing etc etc have changed, so that the instrument is a mere shadow of what it once upon a time.</DIV><DIV>Now if you take a well built copy, you come much closer to the truth of the matter, because it more honestly resembles the instrument when it was built anew.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>In fact this is an old issue here on this list, but I can't help it, I am opinionated and, although I respect museum pieces, I'd rather drive a brand new BMW or mercedes instead of a mildewed and limited car built in the early years.</DIV><DIV>I know... I have my flame suit ready.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">friendly greetings</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">from</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">André Oorebeek</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">Antoni van leeuwenhoekweg 15</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">1401 VW Bussum</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">the Netherlands</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">tel : 0031 35 6975840</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">tel : 0031 652388 008</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; "><A href="mailto:concertpianoservice@planet.nl">concertpianoservice@planet.nl</A></SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">www.concertpianoservice.nl</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">where music is, </SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-family: Helvetica; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">no harm can be</SPAN></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></SPAN><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN> </DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>