Hello, I bought a good used piano from 1973, a Yamaha C3. Everything is in excellent condition, except for the Abel action it comes with, which is excessively bright despite several voicings. It acquires a beautiful sound immediately after voicing, but becomes excessively bright and percussive after about ten days. The technician said it has an Abel S&S type installed. I would like to replace it. I would like to ask:
1) Whether to trust Abel or request an original Yamaha action, perhaps complete with a stiletto.
2) If I were to opt for Abel, I noticed that there are several products suitable for the C3 with gold or red felt. Which one is most similar to the original? I would like to achieve a soft sound, but at the same time cantabile.
3) How to "interpret" the various numbers in the specifications of each action in this catalog? http://ftppianoforti.com/it/96-abel-per-coda?p=10 So what would be the specifications of an original Yamaha action?
As already mentioned in another message sent to you, assembling a hammer rail is not "child's play" for non-experts. Even if it is possible to bypass the drilling and gluing phases, the hammer rail must be aligned and given the correct inclination. After that, the regulation begins. It is all something for experts, true experts. Some "technicians" even make mistakes and/or act naively. Abel has my full respect and builds excellent hammer rails. One only needs a good technician. Anyway, before discarding the old one, I believe that with good regulation it would sound good.
It is something I should agree upon with the dealer since the action is under warranty (though I don't think the hammer rail is).
However, I would like to have a bit of knowledge and be an active part of the decision. That hollow feeling was removed by advancing the escapement point, which had been delayed to make it resemble the Steinway (at least that is the explanation I was given).
Hello everyone. The observation of the voiced hammer that, after a limited number of days, returns to being "hard" and too bright (screeching) has also happened to me. I believe it is due to the fact that some technicians prick quickly and lightly in the area very close to the hammer head. Logically, I have always thought that by pricking at the head, the wool fibers of the hammer break outwards, making the apex increasingly hard. Perhaps I am wrong. Lately, I have seen a voicing performed by pricking the hammer laterally. If I may, I would like to ask Maestro Ferrarelli what he thinks of this type of lateral technique. In many years of activity, I had never seen it. thank you Have a good day
The technician last time tuned slightly on the tip and did a deeper tuning on the side strings. I see the hammers are in rather bad shape: they are very fuzzy, with the fibers pointing upwards, even though he compacted them for me. Then he explained to me that the color of the felt varies depending on the required brightness: my hammer rail has golden felt. I have seen other Yamahas, C3, C5 and C7x, with a sweet sound that is at the same time cantabile and resonant, with hammer rails featuring red felt. The technician explained to me that the color of the felt explains that type of sound.
Let's clarify immediately that the color of the felt underlay is merely an identity and does not change the quality or sound of the hammers. Instead, it is important how the hammers are constructed. Some are extremely hard and even impregnated, to then be pre-voiced and voiced on the instrument. Yamaha and Steinway do this. So, extreme hot pressing. On the complete opposite extreme, we have less compressed and lighter hammers. Voicing IS NOT a simple poking!!!!! One must know how to direct the hammer's energy toward the crown, which, while remaining solid and compact, must receive the impact on the strings and react by resting on the more elastic "lateral shoulders." This is in a nutshell, but the process is complex. "Lateral technique" consists precisely of this, but it is generally performed by the Manufacturer. When changing a hammer set, one must know how to choose the one suitable for this or that instrument and then know how to practice that voicing technique (also called "radial"). It's not as if choosing a Steinway hammer set makes it suitable for a Kawai piano!!!
An incorrect voicing technique can IRREVERSIBLY damage the hammer.
Deep poking in the head must be avoided. It is only done to create the so-called "pianissimo cushion" (which then must be re-compacted). The fact that the hammer remains fuzzy at the top is not good!!! The fibers must be removed and the treble notes struck and compacted... in short, fairy tales about the next day or a few days later make one smile.
In any case, a superficial voicing is better than a "deep" and incorrect one! It is not advisable to "betray" the sound that the Manufacturer intended. We will never be able to transform a Kawai or a Yamaha into a piano with a soft sound. That type of instrument was designed to have "that type of sound," and by distorting it too much, one would end up making it inexpressive. Therefore, the choice of hammer set is important and must be made with experience and competence. From some hammer manufacturers, differentiated compressions can be obtained, but one must know what to order!!!
A note on shaving. I am personally opposed to shaving hammers. Hammers should be shaved while RESPECTING the original shape and not rounding off the treble as is often seen! Then the entire "geometry" of the action changes because the hammer becomes smaller and therefore the drilling point and... the striking point are moved!!! As far as the hammer itself is concerned: it must be re-voiced from scratch!!!! But this time we will be working with less felt on the shoulders and the crown (resulting in a harsher and woodier sound)!!!!!! Happy Music
