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<title>Yamaha Hammers in Steinway "O" was RE: New Steinway Hammerswas---hammer thickness</title>
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<pre style="font-size: 9pt"><tt>Message: 8
Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:15:25 -0700
From: "David Ilvedson" <<a style="cursor: pointer; color: blue; text-decoration: underline" href="mailto:ilvey@sbcglobal.net">ilvey@sbcglobal.net</a>>
Subject: Re: New Steinway Hammers was---hammer thickness trimming jig
To: <a style="cursor: pointer; color: blue; text-decoration: underline" href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</a>
Message-ID: <00272E26081F150F196D002004@David>
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<div style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Courier">Hi David, </div>
<div style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Courier">Yes, they were awesome. Now mind you eveyone's attitude toward a "perfect" tone differs. </div>
<div style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Courier">But having rebuilt many SW's in my life I know the frustration many techs feel after installing a fluffy hammer. </div>
<div style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Courier">In the past, I used sanding sealer for my SW hammers instead of lacquer. Sanding sealer is lacquer with an additive, Stearate. <br/>
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<div style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Courier">The stearate makes the lacquer brittle and will break down over time. It also can be reverse voiced unlike straight lacquer. </div>
<div style="min-height: 14px; margin: 0px; font: 12px Courier">As for the Yamaha hammers, I would say they bring out the best of the bass and crisp up the treble quite nicely. Clarity comes to mind. </div>
<div style="min-height: 14px; margin: 0px; font: 12px Courier">They have been the best "out of the box" hammer I have ever used. They are also one of the easiest hammers to voice. <br/>
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<div style="min-height: 14px; margin: 0px; font: 12px Courier">My technique, uhh, well, aside from using my ears, having satisfied some of the best ears in the music industry</div>
<div style="min-height: 14px; margin: 0px; font: 12px Courier">is none other than good old fashioned filing, string voicing, and hammer alignment. I shade the</div>
<div style="min-height: 14px; margin: 0px; font: 12px Courier">the differences starting with the softest hammer and w
orking outward. My needling tends to be very deep on the shoulders
</div>
<div style="min-height: 14px; margin: 0px; font: 12px Courier">and shallow around the strike points. </div>
<div style="margin: 0px; font: 12px Courier">Patrick</div>
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<pre style="font-size: 9pt"><tt>I'd be interested in your voicing technique for the those Yamaha hammers...were
they great right out of the box?
David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA 94044
----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: <a style="cursor: pointer; color: blue; text-decoration: underline" href="mailto:cclpianos@aol.com">cclpianos@aol.com</a>
To: <a style="cursor: pointer; color: blue; text-decoration: underline" href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</a>
Received: 8/31/2008 7:00:10 AM
Subject: Re: New Steinway Hammers was---hammer thickness trimming jig
>Having just read the blurb on the Steinway hammers: I have used Yamaha hammers
>on my Steinway "O" and loved the results. I have never lacquered them. They are
a
>bit pricey but are nearly identical in gram weight and physical dimensions. I
did this
>after meeting a recording studio engineer from LA, whose piano had the
>modification.</tt></pre></span>
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