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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial id="role_document"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Lots of opinions and lots
of experiences. That probably tells you something about the variability
of Steinway actions and soundboard responses. Personally, I would find
the Abel Naturals too hard. I do have a set that I took off an older Steinway
L (not my choice or original job) because the customer really didn’t like
the sound—I’ll sell them to you cheap </span></font><font size=2
color=navy face=Wingdings><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Wingdings;
color:navy'>J</span></font><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>. The current
Steinway hammer tends to have too much lacquer in it but you can apparently
order them unlacquered and do it yourself. Or, you can order a set of
Bacon felt hammers from Ronsen which will deliver a very similar style tone
with minimal lacquering required. The Ronsen hammer will be (or can
be) much lighter than the Steinway hammer—different molding.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Weight issues are another matter and the
pianos can be all over the place. If you are keeping the original wippens
you won’t want to deviate too far from the original dimensioned shanks but
that can create problems and you will have to plan the hammer weights
accordingly. Ray at Ronsen can be very helpful here. Some Steinway
L’s of that vintage have horrible leverage and you will notice excessive
key leading. Put on a heavier hammer with original dimensioned shanks and
you will have a problem. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>The process of rehammering Steinways can
be complicated or at least require a lot of testing to be sure you are not
getting into trouble. Try a sample hammer or three first if you can to be
sure you’re not going in a tonal direction that neither you nor the
customer want. A very hard hammer on an old board can sound like you’re
hitting the side of a garbage can with your favorite ball pein. Softer
hammers can always be built up and with older Steinways (or new ones for that
matter) and I think that’s the way to go. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Contact me off list if you want to. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
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<p><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
color:navy'>David Love<br>
davidlovepianos@comcast.net<br>
www.davidlovepianos.com</span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>
</span></font></p>
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