I agree with David Stanwood that you can make them somewhat brighter by making the hammers lighter, but you won't likely make this piano bright enough, and you'll sacrifice some power, especially in the lower end of the Piano. The BB will want some mass in the bass even if it's not a concert hall Piano. In fact, generally speaking, I think the piano wants a little bit of mass in the hammers through the scale. So I would not personally pick a Ronsen hammer for this unless you're really after something darker.
Also, with respect to a lighter hammer being brighter; while that's generally true, for a Ronsen hammer to be brighter, it's the profile that counts not so much the net weight. To get a softer hammer brighter you need to have thinner felt over the molding (lower profile). That will tend to reduce the weight of the hammer as well, but if you have a lightweight hammer with a lot of felt over the molding, it's going to be dark.
To brighten up that hammer effectively using the profile, you will need to get note #4 down to about 12 mm thickness, note #40 around 8 mm, and note #64 somewhere around 4 mm. That still may not obviate the need for some lacquer, especially in the bass, but it will allow you to use a lighter solution, which is generally better, in my opinion.
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David Love RPT
www.davidlovepianos.comdavidlovepianos@comcast.net415 407 8320
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-13-2024 07:22
From: David Stanwood
Subject: Hammer recommendation for a 1966 Mason Hamlin BB
ChiaYu, is this BB going to be used in a concert hall? If so the recomendation would be for a concert weight hammer. Reference scale #9 or higher. The lighter softer Ronsen for that is not the best choice.
Reference scales available at: https://www.stanwoodpiano.com/hammerweight
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David Stanwood
stanwoodpiano.com
stanwood@tiac.net
508-693-1583
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-13-2024 07:00
From: Peter Grey
Subject: Hammer recommendation for a 1966 Mason Hamlin BB
And since Ronsens tend to be among the lightest (if not THE lightest) hammers in the aftermarket industry, much of that work has already been accomplished by the maker. (I also instruct him to increase the tail cove size to reduce material below the shank and he does a beautiful job at reasonable cost). I prefer to add weight to the hammers (if need be) rather than remove it.
Peter Grey Piano Doctor
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Peter Grey
Stratham NH
(603) 686-2395
pianodoctor57@gmail.com
Original Message:
Sent: 08-12-2024 17:36
From: David Stanwood
Subject: Hammer recommendation for a 1966 Mason Hamlin BB
Regarding David Love's comment "if you put on a soft hammer like a Ronsen or a Steinway style hammer, you'll have to harden it quite a bit."
The other way to brighten a hammer is to reduce the weight.
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David Stanwood
stanwoodpiano.com
stanwood@tiac.net
508-693-1583
Original Message:
Sent: 08-11-2024 09:56
From: David Love
Subject: Hammer recommendation for a 1966 Mason Hamlin BB
The first step in voicing is hammer selection. This is an apt topic considering the convention in Reno. No one can really give you the answer to this question. I've heard this piano with Renner blues, Renner blue points, Abel natural, Ronsen even Steinway and they all produce acceptable. albeit different results. You have to decide what you're after. You have to assess belly of the piano and determine the best fit given its condition.
This piano will want some power generally. So if you put on a soft hammer like a Ronsen or a Steinway style hammer, you'll have to harden it quite a bit unless you want something darker. The best thing to do is to acquire some samples and put them on the piano and listen and make your own judgment as to what you're after. This will give you a starting point, the final tone of the piano will be subject to how you voice the hammers. But that's always the case.
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David Love RPT
www.davidlovepianos.com
davidlovepianos@comcast.net
415 407 8320