<HTML><HEAD></HEAD> <BODY> Julia: I think the most effective voicing work is done at= the crown, but not deep.  Make a soft surface over a hard= core and you'll get the widest tonal spectrum.  It's great= that you can learn this stuff on your own piano. dave PS, your last post about your rates tells me that= this is now how you are making your living. = Right? __________________________________________ David M. Porritt, RPT Meadows School of the Arts Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275   ----- Original message= ----------------------------------------> From: <<A= href="mailto:Alpha88x@aol.com">Alpha88x@aol.com</A>> To:= <<A= href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A>> Rec= eived: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 15:36:49 EDT Subject: on needling old= upright hammers Greetings,      =         We were told in piano= tech school NOT to needle hammers right on the crown. Upon= arriving home from 9 months at tech school, I was Jones-ing to= refurbish my old upright and needle the hammers in my Yamaha U3,= as the tone was harsh on both pianos.=          &n= bsp;    Well, I first did the old upright's= hammers. Needled the "shoulders of the hammers careful to not go= near the crowns. Put the action back in the piano and I heard= hardly no change. That horrible harsh, explosive, glassy sound= prevailed. So, I decided to slightly needle just a few of the= offenders alittle closer to the crown. No difference...tried= alittle further into the crowns....To make a long story short, I= didn't alleviate the harsh tone till I deeply pounded the needle= right in the crowns of the things! What= gives?         &n= bsp;      I got the results I wanted,= namely a more mellow tone, but only when I did exactly what I= was told NOT to do. Julia Gottchall, Reading,= PA </BODY></HTML>