Martelliera

All the characteristics that you illustrate with various adjectives depend on the voicing of the hammers. The technician must be able to evaluate and choose which sound suits the pianist and the listening environment. Nothing is "pre-packaged". Even if the Manufacturer sent an original hammer set, you might find that it is extremely hard. Only after competent voicing would it sound good.

As for quality, for the Kawai, I prefer Abel, without taking anything away from Renner who builds excellent hammer sets...... but I insist on the voicing, which must be well-balanced.

Furthermore, the weights must be identical, as must the shapes of the hammers as well as the shanks!!!

I confirm and will tell you about my adventure.

I have never voiced a piano; I know it is a delicate matter for experts, but to start, sooner or later one must begin experimenting, after having read, studied, and tried to grasp some tricks from professional tuners.

I have a Kawai CA-60; it had the original hammers worn down, so the sound was a bit too percussive.

I tried shaving them, but they were too far gone, so that solved very little.

Following the instructions in the Kawai technician manual, I attempted voicing by working not on the tip, but in the 10-11 and 2-3 zones.

There was a slight improvement, although achieving uniformity was hard.

But I was still not satisfied; the sound was acceptable, but still a bit bright and percussive.

Since the hammer set was going to be replaced anyway, I tried the damp cloth and iron method.

The only result I obtained was that the sound became muffled, but the percussion remained.

So I tried with hardener, following the advice from Renner and S&S manuals, and dry heating.

The sound returned brighter and much more percussive.

Well, I said to myself, I have more or less understood how it works, I've played around, and now I will buy a new hammer set.

I contacted one of the two Abel brothers; they were very kind, gave me advice, and I sent them a set of hammers—the first and last of each section—specifying what I wanted, the current situation, and where I wanted to arrive.

They prepared a set of 100 hammers for me according to the specifications, cloning the dimensions exactly.

They arrived and, one by one, maintaining the same alignment as the previous ones, I installed them (rabbit glue, etc.).

Obviously, in compliance with the rules and also thanks to the videos of Maestro Ferrarelli (incidentally, I also graduated in Aquila, but two years later), I readjusted the distances and consequently the escapement.

So mechanically everything is fine, all okay, let's play.

The percussive sound has disappeared, the dynamics are much more controllable, but I lost a bit of brightness.

I forgot, before changing the hammers, I had taken a sample of all the notes.

I then spectrally compared the post-change situation and indeed the harmonic content, as well as the note decay, was better before.

I call Abel and he confirms that pre-voicing is necessary.

And this is where I stopped; I have a new hammer set, perfectly installed (correct distances, centering on the strings, perfect single string regulation, aligned and covered repetition lever return, etc.), but now I am afraid to use hardeners or work with needles, or worse, as I have read in some texts, to shave them to adjust the hammer profile—in my case, making it more pointed to gain harmonicity.

I have started re-reading everything, looking for videos and info, talking left and right; I want to understand.

Someone might ask me, "Why don't you just call a tuner, give them those two hundred euros, or who knows how much, and have the job done?"

1) because I want to understand and learn

2) because I don't want to feel like the blowhard who is told the work wasn't done well or that the hammers aren't the right ones.

The hammers were chosen by Abel, I positioned them one at a time, aligning them with the previous ones doing clean work; the action, after long study of the model, is regulated to size and uniform, so I think the starting point for pre-voicing is good.

I was thinking then of getting a few sets of stiletto + forcola, using the leftover hammers, and doing some tests with the hardener and the needle voicer.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks and bye to everyone.

The beauty of Abel hammers is that you have to voice them very little. He can manufacture the same hammer with different degrees of compression. To maintain the same weight, he can also change the quality of the felt. I believe you have chosen well and I would wait for your hammer to work in a little bit before voicing it definitively, but not deeply. The philosophy of impregnated hammers is completely different, as the products are different. An impregnated hammer must be pre-voiced from scratch and then voiced (final voicing). You can buy trial hammers and experiment. You will discover many things and... many recipes. Impregnants are mainly of two types: acetone-based and ether-based. With acetone, you can use crushed clear resin. With ether, there is the Renner one which is very good and not very aggressive. Good work

Thank you for the suggestion and the encouragement!

In the meantime, reading here and there on the forum and also at the suggestion of my son, who is also a graduate but plays at a professional level, we have seen that the room doesn't help either.

It is 4x4 mt large and perhaps the blackout blinds on the windows, the two rugs (one of which is under the piano), and an upholstered sofa do not help the piano bring out its sound, so:

1) curtains open

2) rugs removed

3) piano opened

Something is starting to be heard.

But I am sure that as you say, we need to play it and let the felts settle... And then we will see.

Today, perhaps because my son is out of Italy for studies, and I have little time to practice, the hammer action still does not show the classic grooves.

Effectively, the hammers seemed truly "plug & play" to me, but reading Bettin's book, the various Kawai, Renner, and S&S manuals, I became worried because it seemed like one had to immediately pass the hammers to sandpaper, impregnating agents, and needles to get something out of them.

Anyway, I am not ruling out buying some dummy hammers for speculative purposes to do some tests, also to verify everything that is read.

Thank you again..... And if you are passing through my area, let me know.

Bye

I am sure you have done an excellent job. It is evident that when moving from worn and harder hammers to more "progressive" ones, one gains in dynamic gradations. The decay of the old ones can be "forced." Now the decay could be just right. Our Western hammer makers aim for a less aggressive sound, but qualitatively richer in timbre. Abel, in my opinion, has well understood this "cultural orientation" of ours regarding sound. Naturally, they are not the only ones. Renner also manufactures excellent hammers, starting from a different perspective.

What is read in books... and in the cited books... is authoritative and correct, but... you will discover that there is a good amount of "unsaid" that leaves a large percentage of choices open. Choices that, beyond the perfectly valid general guidelines dictated, can greatly modify the result.

Dalle tue parti [In your area], to view and verify your piano, I can come free of charge, as for all members. The only reimbursement is for highway tolls and fuel. However, try to find the right path yourself, which you are pursuing with great interest and determination.

Regards Paolo Ferrarelli

Hello everyone. Browsing the Abel hammer catalog, I saw that for the Kawai kg 2 model (and others) there are hammers made with different types of wood: walnut, mahogany and maple (I was unaware of the existence of the latter, while I seemed to remember hornbeam).

Are there specific technical characteristics and/or particular reasons for preferring one type over another?
the website link is this: http://abel-pianoparts.de/index.php?index=1&lng=en&menuid=29

Thank you all

m

Naturally, the specific weights of different woods... are different. One must respect the wood chosen by the Manufacturer in the Era in which that instrument was built, the color of the felt (only for visual reasons), the shape of the tail, as well as the type of impregnation. I repeat, however, that mounting a hammer rail properly is an expert task.....but there is always a first time. I always advise not to throw away the old hammers and, especially in the case of the grand piano, to replace the shanks as well. This way we will be in possession of the old hammers mounted by the Manufacturer to immediately verify, and over time, the execution of the new work and thus not lose the "identity" of the instrument. Furthermore... if the new hammer rail is not satisfactory, we can always return to evaluate the efficiency of the old one. Even when entrusting this work to a technician, one must demand the return of the old hammer rail!!!!!!! And then one must consider that if there is a need to replace the hammer heads, then the felts and the center pins of the capstans will also be worn. Unsticking the old hammer rail and gluing the new one onto the old shanks is not very much in line with a good technical choice.

Hello everyone

I am new to this forum. I should preface that I am not a pianist, but I enjoy playing the piano so much that my son left it at home once he got married. It is an upright Melford; about a month ago, it needed tuning, so I called the tuner who fixed it perfectly. However, after about 10 days, the G2 (key 23) stuck. I opened the piano and noticed that the corresponding hammer was completely out of place; I unhooked the strap and removed it. What I found can be seen clearly in the attached photos. How can I fix this? Where can I find the replacement part? Is it a job I can do myself or is a technician required?

If possible, could you tell me how to reassemble it and how to hook the spring back on?

Thank you and happy music to all

Aldo

Aldolip1 wrote:

Hi everyone

I am new to this forum. I should preface that I am not a pianist, but I enjoy playing the piano so much that my son left it at home once he got married. It is an upright Melford; about a month ago, it needed tuning, so I called the tuner who fixed it perfectly. However, after about 10 days, the G2 (key 23) stuck. I opened the piano and noticed that the corresponding hammer was completely out of place; I unhooked the strap and removed it. What I found can be seen clearly in the attached photos. How can I fix this? Where can I find the replacement part? Is it a job I can do myself or is a technician required?

If possible, could you tell me how to reassemble it and how to hook the spring back on?

Thank you and happy music to all

Aldo

If you find the piece that fell off, it can be glued back on by making sure it aligns well and putting the piece in a vise; it must be pressed properly.

Alternatively, the nut can be replaced; it is better to consult a technician who might find a spare part among their leftovers, avoiding having to order just one from who knows where. It is nothing serious.

Ciao

Thanks Giovanni, I wasn't able to find the little piece that broke off. I consulted the tuner who had come last month; he replied that he will see if he can find a complete hammer because he says it is quite difficult to scrape off and then reglue with the exact inclination.

If I had found the little piece that flew off, it would have been better. One must be very careful when handling a mechanism; this type of damage occurs when lateral force is applied to the repetition lever or the hammer.

If you cannot find an identical cap, it is better to unglue the first bass hammer and move the lever and cap closer to the central position where the damage occurred, gluing in the correct hammer (the one you have in your hand). The cap you are holding can then be restored in a workshop by gluing a new piece of beech wood sideways in a vise, following the correct grain, filing down the excess, and recreating the seat (you will be without the first la for two days; it's not a big deal since it is never played).

In an emergency at a client's house, this is how one proceeds; after that, I don't know, I am not familiar with your technician's skills, but it is something that can be easily fixed while keeping all the original parts.

Or better maple or better plywood. If glued well, it is a little triangle that no one will ever see

I'm arriving late, but I fully agree with Giovanni

Thanks to both of you, I realize that I am truly ignorant on the subject; after all, I had never opened a piano before now. Can you tell me if there is a demonstration video on how to disassemble and reassemble the hammer? Could the broken and missing little piece in the photos still be glued to the piano? In fact, I notice that the wire loop, which I believe the spring engages with, is clearly visible. Should I disassemble the small piece where that wire is located? Does it require any special tools? Is it glued on?

Thank you

But I would have the technician do it, wouldn't I? Maybe he himself will find the missing little piece, which couldn't have run away.

Videos dedicated to all of that don't exist, unfortunately. In short, knowing how to proceed doesn't mean that always, always, and in any case, one can replace the experience of a technician who knows where to put their hands.

These are things that you need to have seen done at least once; furthermore, a certain manual dexterity is required to do it well. We have already done it badly by breaking the repetition (whoever it was), do we want to kill it twice? If you have the technician nearby, bring the repetition and the two hammers to the workshop; he can restore the repetition and unglue the two hammers when he has 10 minutes of free time, and then stop by your place at the end of the evening one day to glue them onto the piano and fix everything. However, to disassemble the first hammer, you must extract the action, loosen the screw of the metal cap (where the repetition broke) and unhook the clip from the slot.

The video on how to extract an action, I think I can find that online, otherwise I'll make it for you; that's not the problem.

Sorry Paolo for responding, I see the posts on my phone and sometimes it feels natural to respond, other times not because certain reckless comments from users make me angry ehehe.

The video on how to repair the broken nut does not exist.