The old hammers definitely are more musically pleasing to my ears. Although the new one clearly have better clarity, they sound more lifeless, cold, and metallic. However! I really appreciate this video because it perfectly illustrates how big of a difference hammer replacement can make! Sounds like a completely different piano. I needed this video/info for my own piano situation. Thanks!
Very interesting comparison. I think the new hammers would need voicing though as they are too bright. What brand are the new hammers actually? They look like a Chinese/Japanese made hammers. Also judging from the fact that the holes were too big. Could you elaborate on how you "shimmed" them to fit the smaller shanks?
Mhm the old hammers sounded warm and melodious and I did enjoy that sound. To me it fitted the overall tone of the instrument. But as a player, the old sound was so mellow a pianist would find articulation difficult. Whilst the new hammers were a bit too bright for my taste, I think they still did improve the instrument.
The old hammers sound better. You just showed me why the sound of my new Japanese piano is so dry, cold, mettalic, and non-musical. The hammers need to mature and get voiced. Alternatively, I will have to switch to voice-up hammerheads.
The old hammers sound beautiful in the mid range of the piano,the top end sound is poor due to doping of the hammers.The new hammers sound quite thin and bright and makes the sound a little twangy in places.This is because the new hammers bring out more harmonics so it is is so important to make sure the piano is perfectly in tune,which will eradicate much of the 'twang' (for want of a better word).Also the tone of the piano would be greatly improved with voicing which will reduce the brittleness of the sound. ..Just my thoughts.
As you can see and hear, there are those who like mellow dark tone, and those who like bright tones. I like both. At this point if you like bright sound, you should glue a layer of leather to the crown, with the added benefit of never need to replace hammers again.
Thanks for the message. Good spotting! Truth be told I picked very different hammers to emphasise the difference in tone to the layperson. Feel free to subscribe for more videos!
