Yamaha U3 hammer replacement

What you are saying makes me think that the hammer rail has been shaved and therefore, if poorly done and/or not voiced, it can result in a very harsh sound. This is, of course, a hypothesis. If that is the case, one must look at the type of hammer and proceed with an adequate replacement of the hammer rail. I don't quite understand the phrase regarding the strings, the quality of which cannot be recognized with the naked eye. We don't even know what was replaced during the "regeneration," a word that is entirely high-sounding and unconvincing, except in an appealing commercial perspective!

"To regenerate a piano"—what does that mean? It often means, as I see it, shaving the hammers, replacing the strings (maybe), keyboard felts (perhaps)... and the piano appears very elegant and "regenerated."

Sometimes, perhaps not in your case, the hammers are shaved without an adequate shape, getting too close to the wooden core (resulting in a hard, woody sound, devoid of timbre...). To the eye, they look new, but after a short time, the sound inevitably worsens. This is also because the striking point on the strings changes, as does the entire "mechanics geometry."

Strings, if replaced, must be chosen in their precise diameter, and this absolutely cannot be evaluated with the naked eye. Quality: ROSLAU BLEU and PAULELLO are the best used... and they cannot be recognized by sight.

Abel makes excellent hammers, as does Renner, but the important thing is to identify the year of construction and replace the hammer rail suitable for that piano. Perhaps different degrees of felt compression can be requested in order to obtain a sound as close as possible to what the pianist requires. So, there are many choices to make. The technician must know these things and not bypass them!!!!!

If the hammer rail is still good, you can ask a competent technician to perform a voicing of the hammers. This is an intervention requiring great skill, which must be carried out with expertise, otherwise there is the risk of irreversible damage to the felt and the general timbre of the hammer rail.

I hope I have been helpful to you

Hello Paolo @pianoexpert,

thank you so much for the prompt and detailed response.

I believe I understand that since it is a refurbished piano, the probability that the hammers have only been shaved is very high. I remember, among other things, that on one occasion, the tuner took some time to "soften" a felt (using the needle tool) because a more metallic timbre was clearly perceived compared to the others. Could this needle method be a temporary solution to try?

I have read in some discussions that it is also possible that an impregnating agent was applied to the felts and that any interventions like the one with needles might only yield small results in the short term.

Compared to a potential replacement of the hammers, one thing I can do is try to trace back the year of production via the serial number. It could be a piano from the '70s. Aesthetically everything seems perfect, even if the aged color of the felts has never quite convinced me. Do you think taking some close-up photos to have more details to observe might be helpful?

One thing is certain, I regret the purchase of this piano a little; looking back, I would wait until I could afford a better one. Perhaps it is true that "the more you spend, the less you spend."

Many concepts at once.

Let's say that the "needling" intervention is indeed the voicing intervention, but if the hammer felt has been shaved and shaved too much, perhaps rounding off the highs (incorrect execution), then voicing will be of little use. A "softening" might be proposed, but in the short term, this will result in deafening the hammer felt itself.

The price is low, but when purchasing, one must evaluate the work that needs to be done, so as to arrive at an assessment of the true cost of the instrument.

The Yamaha hammer felt is certainly impregnated at the source and specifically voiced with compressed zones and expanded zones. When the expanded zone is shaved too much, it is reduced or disappears and cannot be recreated, given the meager amount of felt around the wooden core.

Voicing is a very varied intervention and must be properly executed depending on the situation. When it is not possible, it is better not to perform it. A TEMPORARY "SOFT SOUND" could be a definitive "funeral" for the hammers. So, be careful!

Replacement, on the other hand, offers a hammer to work with, first with a pre-voicing and then with a fine and final voicing. It is evident, however, that over time, the strings will mark the hammers, making them brighter. During tuning, it will only be necessary to make small corrections.

Andrew wrote:

6 hours ago, Andrew said:

Hello Paolo @pianoexpert,

thank you so much for the timely and detailed response.

I believe I understand that since it is a refurbished piano, the probability that the hammers have only been shaved is very high. I remember, among other things, that on one occasion, the tuner took some time to "soften" a felt (using the needle tool) because a more metallic timbre than the others was clearly perceived. Could this needle method be a temporary solution to try?

I have read in some discussions that it is also possible that an impregnating agent was applied to the felts and that any interventions like the one with needles might only yield small results in the short term.

Compared to a potential replacement of the hammers, one thing I can do is try to trace back the year of production via the serial number. It could be a piano from the '70s. Aesthetically everything seems perfect, even if the aged color of the felts has never quite convinced me. Do you think taking some close-up photos to have more details to observe might be helpful?

One thing is certain, I have somewhat regretted the purchase of this piano; looking back, I would wait until I could afford a better one. Perhaps it is true that "the more you spend, the less you spend."

"The more you spend, the less you spend" is a very, veeeery relative concept with pianos.... It could be quite the opposite....

Let's say that if I see that the instrument has a beautiful sound and has no structural impediments (see my tutorial on purchasing a used piano), then one can plan to carry out a series of interventions to restore the instrument to its original performance. However, sometimes, due to inexperience, they describe the instrument as "regenerated" (a term, I repeat, that is suggestive but has no technical meaning) and often, things have been altered (such as the shape of the hammers - or other unconvincing interventions) that will shortly lead to dissatisfaction. The replacement of strings, for example, requires respect for the original diameters, etc.

Therefore, certainly, one does not always encounter "manipulated" instruments, but one must demand that the seller explains and clearly details what has been done to the instrument.

Upon purchase, it is better to be accompanied by one's own "truly" trusted technician, who can examine what has been done, what should not have been done, and what might still need to be done. The pianist's goal, unlike commercial goals, is to have an instrument that provides satisfaction over time.

So, the price of the instrument as it stands is determined and agreed upon in relation to its condition at the time of sale and the actual reconditioning work still to be performed. In this way, we will be able to know the true final price of that instrument.