Dave, I rebuilt a '32 Steinway L two years ago and used Wally Brook's (Abel) Natural Felt hammers and everyone (piano faculty) loves it!  His prices for boring and tapering, etc., are also very reasonable.  Otherwise, I'd go with Steinway hammers.  Are the shanks/flanges and knuckles good enough to keep for the whole new life of the hammers? Always think ahead....(why do I know this??? ;>)  ) Paul T. Williams RPT Piano Technician University of Nebraska Lincoln, NE pwilliams4@unl.edu <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td width=40%>piannaman@aol.com Sent by: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org 10/02/2008 10:10 AM <table border> <tr valign=top> <td bgcolor=white> <div align=center>Please respond to Pianotech List <pianotech@ptg.org></div></table> <td width=59%> <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>To</div> <td>pianotech@ptg.org <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>cc</div> <td> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>Subject</div> <td>(a first for me...) new hammers for 1927 s and s L</table> <table> <tr valign=top> <td> <td></table> </table> Liszters, 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.   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.   I was assuming that I'd go with Steinway, but I need to ask the customer if authentic Steinway parts are necessary.  Since I'm not tooled up to bore my own hammers, I'll probably get them pre-bored/pre-hung.   Any suggestions or input would be welcomed.   Dave Stahl, RPT Dave Stahl Piano Service dstahlpiano@sbcglobal.net dstahlpiano.net <hr>Find phone numbers fast with the <a href="http://yellowpages.aol.com/?NCID=emlweusyelp00000001" target=_blank>New AOL Yellow Pages</a>!