<!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 6.00.2800.1561" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Bookman Old Style" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=role_document face="Bookman Old Style" color=#000000 size=3> <DIV>Dave,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>New Steinway hammers are most definitely heavier than the originals; that's why they use 17 mm shanks now. Putting them on an older model is a recipe for a whining customer. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>You're going to want to replace the shanks, which almost certainly have verdigris. (Check the repetition support flange, too). One possibility is to put on 16.5 mm shanks, but the leverage on SOME L's from that era is such that you can even use 16's, if you use a very light hammer, taper it top to bottom, and cove it more thoroughly. The advantage to that, in the few cases you can get away with it, is a low-inertia, short-keythrow action like the original. I have used the Abel Natural Felt hammers from Brooks, like others suggest. Light weight, nice old-fashioned sound. With them, we sometimes use 16 mm, sometimes 16.5. I like to make that decision during teardown, with dummy parts. Ronsen can also make a light set. If you want a big sound, Renners are heavier, also require good prep, require more voicing to get elasticity, 16.5 shanks.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Be prepared to rebalance the keys.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>This is not a one-size-fits-all decision, but you at least have a lot of latitude for preference. Go try out some pianos at the shops of good action people.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Bob Davis</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>In a message dated 10/2/2008 8:10:52 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, piannaman@aol.com 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> <DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Liszters,<BR><BR>I have a customer, who also happens to have a son who's a classmate of my son, who has an old L that's in pretty good shape, except the hammers are shot.  No room for shaping left on them.  But the strings are good, board is good, block is good . It's pretty solid all-round.  So after years of being pretty much strictly a home-service guy, I'm going to jump in and put a new set of hammers on this piano.  It will be the first complete set I've ever replaced.  <BR><BR>I have had a few suggestions from folks on type of hammer, notably Steinway(sticking with the original, expensive) and Abel (more ready out-of-the-box, cheaper). I like the Ronsen VFGs that are on my Mason, too, but am not sure they'd match up well with the Steinway.   </FONT><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I was assuming that I'd go with Steinway, but I need to ask the customer if authentic Steinway parts are necessary. </FONT><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Since I'm not tooled up to bore my own hammers, I'll probably get them pre-bored/pre-hung.  <BR><BR></FONT><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Any suggestions or input would be welcomed.   </FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV id=sig6848 style="CLEAR: both"><FONT size=+0>Dave Stahl, RPT<BR>Dave Stahl Piano Service<BR>dstahlpiano@sbcglobal.net<BR>dstahlpiano.net</FONT></DIV> <DIV class=aol_ad_footer id=u8CAF2B7FB6BE359-15F8-6C1><FONT style="FONT: 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF; COLOR: black"> <HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px"> Find phone numbers fast with the <A title=http://yellowpages.aol.com/?NCID=emlweusyelp00000001 href="http://yellowpages.aol.com/?NCID=emlweusyelp00000001" target=_blank>New AOL Yellow Pages</A>!</FONT> </DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Looking for simple solutions to your real-life financial challenges? <A title="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1209382257x1200540686/aol?redir=http://www.walletpop.com/?NCID=emlcntuswall00000001" href="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1209382257x1200540686/aol?redir=http://www.walletpop.com/?NCID=emlcntuswall00000001" target="_blank">Check out WalletPop for the latest news and information, tips and calculators</A>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>