Comparing hammers from the best

While at Paul Bruno's shop today I got a wealth of interesting tid-bits (if you go, you will too!). One cool thing that I was able to do was to compare hammers from the top hammer makers. Let's look at the differences.

Firstly, let's look at the basic construction. The Steinway moldings are maple as opposed to walnut, which is what Yamaha, Renner, and Abel use (Note: Yamaha CFIIIS hammers are maple). Different molding material will have a different sound characteristic as well as having a different weight. Secondly, look at the underfelt. There's a wide variety of sizes. The American Steinway hammers clearly have the smallest underfelt . Perhaps this is because they are expecting the addition of lacquer to support the hammer instead of the underfelt? The other hammers, which are hard-pressed, clearly have larger underfelt. Thirdly, look at the shape. While these hammers haven't received their initial filing, you can tell that they will have very different sizes in the end.

Some of you might have noticed the "Old" and "New" American Steinway hammers in the picture. Well, if you weren't in attendance to see Alex Markovich from Steinway talk about the new hammer design the you really missed out. He announced that Steinway in New York is now producing a model "D" hammer that is harder, "medium-pressed" we'll say. The use of lacquer with these new hammers is limited only to the strike point and only needed for additional attack. These hammers are not intended for the traditional "soaking" that the old style hammers require. I've heard the new hammers and they actually sound very similar to the old hammers. The difference is that they have the sound of a lacquered hammer but without the lacquer.

There are many other things that can be discussed about these hammers so feel free to comment with you're thoughts.

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