Hammers too hard

Change the hammer rail by ordering the correct one from Yamaha based on the instrument's serial number; they also provide the hammer rail already glued to the shank (new) upon request.

An expensive intervention but almost necessary since tuning on an impregnated hammer rail is not easily feasible as an idea, you would break several needles.

You can try shaving and tuning, but as your technician says, you would then lose sound....

I have a remedy that you can try, but I don't feel like writing it in public; I will send you a private message.

Bye

ok

and for the bass strings, what can I do?

What does Maestro Ferrarelli say about it?

Maestro Ferrarelli does not intend to share the "precious behavior of Fra.", who openly declares a desire to respond privately, sparing himself from suggesting his advice in public. We are here to write our opinions without jealousy or reticence. That is the main purpose of this Site and this Forum. Besides, we are not so "precious" as to possess the "truths" and... keep them to ourselves.

As for my opinion, I do share Fra's technical thought, but also a new hammer (especially an original Yamaha") must be voiced, and that is something for experts. Overweighting the striking part too much is equivalent to increasing the inertia of the action, negatively altering its "responsiveness."

Even with this type of impregnation performed which, as I understand, was not completed, with correct voicing, the solution should not be sought in other elements. One risks entering a vicious cycle from which there is no escape. What does "striking points" on the strings mean? At the bridge? Bass hammers are almost never impregnated, and if they ever are, never at the striking point. Impregnation techniques are associated with different voicing techniques.

Other interventions on the hammers such as steam, water, or "combing" are not recommended

the hammer felt has been completely soaked, alas even the bases. As you used to say maestro, the strings were struck in correspondence with the bridge. However, my former technician put a drop of lacquer. Do you think that with a scraping, even with the risk of losing sound, the situation could improve?

Best regards

and how much does a new Yamaha hammer action cost?. In your opinion maestro, would it be wise to replace it with Renner or Abel? Thanks in advance

On a Yamaha, I would set its hammer rail exactly like the original since the C7 is an instrument they still produce; why experiment? Don't think you'll improve it by installing an Abel or a Renner....

Anyway, I would also look at the strings; it's probable they need to be changed.... A new hammer rail with old strings certainly wouldn't solve all the problems. What era is the instrument from? Several Yamahas with serial numbers between 1 million and 2 million arrived in Italy via import with completely rusted strings. A little cleaning with steel wool and off to the market, but they still remained dull.

The hammer felting/impregnation brings few benefits in these cases, whether it is impregnated uniformly or on both sides (these are different philosophies of thought, the second being older than the first).

Steinway New York impregnates the hammers to build its timbre, including the basses, and impregnates the head uniformly with several successive dilutions (starting from the most diluted dose up to a heavier dose of nitrocellulose, gradually reducing the application area towards the tip of the hammer).

When performing these interventions, it is necessary to start with a very diluted solution (1 to 14, for example) and verify the result.... Applying the impregnant without diluting it, even if it's just a drop or two, changes nothing; the hammer should be thrown away.

Regards

Excerpt from the Steinway tuning manual.

Obviously every technician has their own method; saying that someone is wrong if they do things differently isn't right because, as I always say, what matters is the result. By following what is done in the factory, one makes fewer mistakes; for this reason, I wouldn't put a European hammer inside a Yamaha (things already seen and results so-so)

the piano has a serial number of 6 million and something, new though

and roughly how much does a new hammer mechanism cost?

New? Whoa, but that's strange then..... You should ask by sending an email to Yamaha Italia for the price of a perforated hammer rail for your instrument.... I believe it might cost between 300 and 500 euros, but I don't know exactly because I have never requested one.

But a new piano is strange, it's a shame to throw away a hammer rail like that. Where are you writing from, if I may ask? I know someone in Lombardy who collaborates with Yamaha Italia; maybe I can give you their contact details if you aren't far away.

Ciao

but wait a second, I remember that my old tuner, when he applied the sealer, had a bottle with plenty of liquid inside....maybe the sealer was already diluted? and if so, can this mistake be rectified in this case? thanks always for your cooperation and availability

Who knows what it had.... In any case, these are somewhat one-sided interventions.... but what does the tuner who impregnated them say?

he says that it could be resolved by voicing the apex with very thin needles....and I must say that the sound changed a lot....the problem is that the next day everything goes back to how it was before......in this case, do you think one should act on the hammer apex more aggressively to make it more lasting?.....even though the hammer apex is almost never touched anyway

It's not that you never touch it, it depends on what needs to be achieved.... Obviously, one must proceed with caution. If the sound attack was correct originally and one only needed to add more body, reinforcing the sound would have been more appropriate by only impregnating the shoulders of the hammer without touching the percussion point.

I would try to puncture the hammer laterally below the striking point (about 3 mm). It is not a technique that is commonly used, but it works and the hammer softens immediately without fraying the felt fibers, which are now glued together due to the impregnation.

Once upon a time, there were also pliers in the catalog for laterally puncturing the hammer; I have been told that Gino Nazzari used them, who was an important Italian technician, factory manager of the Anelli company in Cremona.

I myself, when I have to correct a sound attack that is too metallic, prefer to do it this way, one or two punctures are enough.... perhaps checking first which string has the most metallic sound to understand whether to enter with the needle from the right or the left.

It is the only way I can think of to save your hammers in their current state.... along with what I told you privately.

Obviously I use a single needle, not the torture device mentioned above

I will try and let you know