Voicing a Hohner from Finland .

[Jonathan the 2nd]

Wednesday afternoon and my tuner will arrive to do the voicing and tuning on my Hohner upright. It will be a bonus if it sounds like an old Bluthner I heard once. No chance . The Hohner hammers don`t seem very "woolly" when you touch and lightly scratch one with a fingernail . More like a dusty ,bitty quality .

[Barrie Heaton]

Got a few modern c1990 Hohner grands on my round, one I did voice down hard going a lot of needling to get it down but be careful with the top treble not much needed up there

If it an old piano and the felt feels like dust it could be Wurzen felt and if it is, it should voice down very nicely.

Barrie

[Jonathan the 2nd]

Hohner Grands . For some reason I didn`t think they made Grands. Silly to think that . I shall look them up . Wurzen has a German sound to the name. Either way I can look forward to some new sounds after today .

[Jonathan the 2nd]

The voicing was done after it`s six month tune up. Same day .Tune up plus voicing .Now, a tuning makes the piano sound right again but a voicing makes the sound glowing and radiant. It`s like my tv has suddenly become High Definition . The layer of stray harmonics that used to hang in the air after the main note has been cleared away . They spoiled the sound. It sounds like the same piano but the tone is richer and more fruity .
The tuner man said not many people ask for this voicing to be done . But it`s cheaper than the tune up and makes an amazing difference. Many notes were spoiled by the hammer hitting one string a split second before the 2nd string. He mentioned an advert he saw which offered to De Twang your piano. Played loud you could hear wa wa wa sounds as the notes died away .
We had to patch him up with a plaster on his finger after he accidentally stabbed his hand during the job . This piano could have sounded better more than ten years ago . Book yourself a voicing folks .

[Barrie Heaton]

We had to patch him up with a plaster on his finger after he accidentally stabbed his hand during the job .

The sign of a bleeding good voicer that is

Barrie

[Withindale]

Well done!

Did your fibres - the ones you put on some offending hammers - last until the tuning?

[Jonathan the 2nd]

Yes the tiny fibre patches stayed in place fine. Felt wool fibres have tiny hooks that cling together. I found out about making decorative felt material on the net. The patches on the hammers had a mildly muting effect but took away strident harmonics . I removed them before the tuner came but admitted my sin to him voluntarily .

[Jonathan the 2nd]

In one of the videos for hammer voicing the technician uses the sandpaper to brush the felt towards the tip of the hammer ,so he is using fluffy bits of felt to affect the tone as he wants to keep them on the hammer right where the string touches . Not much difference to my little black patches. Those patches were only 3 or 4 strands thick.
Out of the two methods ,as a customer , I would choose the --pressing the needle in --method rather than --stabbing the needle in. If I had a nice Steinway I would insist on no stabbing if I could . Do you need extra piano insurance for the stabbing ?

[Jonathan the 2nd]

Pianotek have a tool that reminds me of a wirestripper. It has the plier type handles and jaws equipped with needles that act on the sides of the hammers. That way makes more sense for an upright piano . It`s possible to take the whole hammer mechanism out of the piano but that could be avoided .

[Barrie Heaton]

You paper to the nose to follow the grain of the felt

Putting needles into the sides of hammers is a sure way of killing the sustain. you put needles in to hammers in set ways to achieve certain results. Coming in from the side just brakes up the layers of felt and take out its elastic properties Coming in from the top brakes up the fibres and at the same time compacts the layers keeping the elastic properties so the hammer spring back into shape on fortissimo playing

Barrie

[Jonathan the 2nd]

Have you told Pianotek about this Barrie? They have a photo on their catalogue . Some tuners don`t even approve of using 3 needles. They say one is better . The Steinway tuners have an article about the pattern of needle piercing . But you already know that I`m sure .

[Barrie Heaton]

Have you told Pianotek about this Barrie? They have a photo on their catalogue . Some tuners don`t even approve of using 3 needles. They say one is better . The Steinway tuners have an article about the pattern of needle piercing . But you already know that I`m sure .

Its the USA they have some very odd or different ways of doing things depending how you look at life. Plus they dope their hammers so much some are like bricks Its all about saving time coming in form the side gives you a big result quicker but not good for the longevity of the hammer. They also have Pliers for squeezing Hammers again quicker result but little control

Yes some like the single needle because of the control it gives you, Yet; some but a rasp needed in to a drill and use that.

Barrie