<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV>Hello, </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>more around €300 (=$300) maximum for hammers bought straight from the = factory (Renner) catalog, and drilled to spec.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Can't speak for Andre but he have special = fabrications made for him, matching better the originals that standard catalog hammers.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I've seen a sample of Renner blue, the = tension is low, but they are pressed a bit in the gluing process. The felt look like = Wurzen ,nice quality, but as these hammers are not stapled, the voicing process = as I've understand it may not be useable on these (not enough tension & = density reserve to work with).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The original Steinway D hammers sold here are = about 1400$ when sold glued on shanks, or around 800 $ for mod D heads, like = yours, other models slightly less.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>But these are all made by Renner actually, = and with the same Filtz.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Regards./</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Isaac</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid"> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left>-----Message d'origine----- De : pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]De la = part de Erwinspiano@aol.com Envoyé : samedi 21 = septembre 2002 17:06 À : pianotech@ptg.org Objet : = Re: hammer felt </DIV>In a message dated = 9/21/2002 1:32:12 AM Pacific Daylight Time, antares@euronet.nl writes: <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE">Subj:hammer felt Date:9/21/2002 1:32:12 AM = Pacific Daylight Time From:<A = href="mailto:antares@euronet.nl">antares@euronet.nl</A> Reply-to:<A = href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> To:<A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> Sent = from the Internet =          Antares</BLOCKQUOTE>          &n= bsp;  I believe the only hammer like this in America cost about 800 dollars = and it is sold by the Steinway factory. I heard a couple of sample hammers in = a piano and I confess I was impressed. But two hammers is not really a fair = assesment for me however  my friend has used a couple of sets on larger = steinways and he loved the sounds. But 800 bucks is to rich for my blood. What = do these hammers cost in Europe? If it's less than half of 800 I'll try a set. Regards     Dale Erwin <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE"> And then I say (speaking from a long time = experience) : Try the Renner hammers with Wurzen felt. I don't know = about the 'Renner blues' made for the US market (maybe they are made with = lower tension because of your (American) way with hammer dopes) but at = least here in Europe the Renner hammers (with Wurzen) are the very best = hammers available and you find them on Bösendorfers, = Bechsteins, Steinways and  other well known piano makers. Yamaha uses Wurzen on = their CFIIIS and these days even Samick in Seoul buys Wurzen = felt. The Renner Wurzen hammers we use have the following characteristics : Nice, even tone from the beginning. Middle section needs = some voicing and opening up (usually around 30 strokes). Lower bass = hammers, usually the first octave, need battery voicing = (driving up the powers from the base of the hammers). Higher treble hammers (from = c''' to c'''') need battery voicing. The highest treble hammers, usually = the last 5 or 6 hammers, need some dope to give them a little more 'ping'. Just yesterday, I voiced an older baby Grotrian = Steinweg grand with these Renner hammers and it took me about 1 hour and = 15 minutes to needle them, file them, clean them up and apply the dope. Result : A nice, warm and even sounding Grotrian = Steinweg baby with a 'ping' in the high treble. By looking closely = at the fibers of the Wurzen felt, and especially on the sides, we = clearly see that this felt is not just a dense, stone hard, lifeless piece of = felt. On the contrary, it almost seems like it was woven like a = beautiful and very expensive Kashmir shawl and after hearing the result, we can = understand why, in the earlier days, the great piano makers in = Europe used this felt. Now that the Eastern part of Germany has been = added to its former halve, the factory has opened again, continuing to = make what they had to temporarily stop a long time ago. friendly greetings from Antares, Amsterdam, = Holland "where music is, no harm can be" visit my website at :  http://www.concertpianoservice.nl/ </BLOCKQUOTE> </BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>