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Joined: Feb 2010
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I was wondering about getting the hammers in my piano a little softened. Basically how much does it cost.
I forget the exact term for the proceedure but I know what it involves to a degree.
Basically, my piano is very bright and almost harsh. It's 50 years old so I don't know if it's the strings or the hammers.
I was hoping to get it mellowed out a bit.
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Voicing. Do you have a photo? Age and condition is germane to cost. At 50 years, hammer replacement may be required.
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I don't have photos of the hammers... but I do remember my tuner said it could be voiced differently if I wanted to, so at least I know it's possible.
I guess I'll ask my tuner about it when he tunes the piano in July. On a side note the piano holds a tuning really well.
Is there any ball park estimate about how much it costs to voice a piano?
Thanks,
JD
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If your tuner is correct, then perhaps a degree of shaping and needling is all that's needed to mellow the timbre. Cost will depend upon time. From this distance, I cannot say. Perhaps a tech here on PW in your area will give an educated guess as to cost. Best wishes.
Last edited by bkw58; 06/20/14 02:42 PM. Reason: clarity
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Are you sure its the hammers that need work and not strings that need to be replaced?
"Imagine it in all its primatic colorings, its counterpart in our souls - our souls that are great pianos whose strings, of honey and of steel, the divisions of the rainbow set twanging, loosing on the air great novels of adventure!" - William Carlos Williams
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Dave,
From what I can tell the strings are fine. My tuner didn't say anything about them needing to be replaced. The piano stays in tune too. One thing about how it sounds now that is nice, is that it has quite a bit of reverb and resonance. A trail of echo that is pleasant. It is just that it's very bright. and I'd imagine if the hammers were voiced softer it would mellow out.
I'm just curious as to how much a technician usually charges for the job.
I hope it's not taboo to ask about that.
Thanks,
Joey
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Some charge extra from the tuning--by an hourly rate. I never have: if the piano needs voicing, which interferes with the quality of the tuning, then I spend more time on the voicing and less on the tuning. Pianos need to be maintained. If the piano is regularly serviced, then there should be time for voicing.
Technicians that are experienced voicers can probably get the voicing 90% to where you want it in about 20-30 mins...the other 10% could take days.
With all that said, $100-$200 should be enough to make a noticeably good difference...if they know what they are doing.
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Cool, that is good news. I have confidence in my tuner so it's good to hear that it's not much more expensive than a tuning is.
I can budget for that.
Thanks for the reply A443
I haven't had a tuning in about 2 or 3 years, it sounds good, but I just want to do my part in taking care of the piano!
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Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if the hammers are voiced softer, if some of the resonance and reverb will diminish?
I had this fear that a re-voicing would remove some of the resonance.
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JD, It's worth a try to have your original hammers filed and needled. Done properly, softening the hammers should mellow it out. I know you are concentrating on a price. It all depends on your tuner/tech's technique. Simply put, how much time and labor will it take. It can be time consuming. Some pianos require more work. It's hard to put a set price across the board. If your tuner mentioned it to you, I'm sure he has an idea of what is needed and a price in mind. Good luck!
David Glenn Piano tuner/ pianist 1970 Baldwin R Grand 1952 Baldwin M Baby Grand 1922 fully restored Estey 6' Grand 1910 restored Estey Upright Yamaha PSR-750
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[...] if the hammers are voiced softer [will] some of the resonance and reverb will diminish? Technically, no, not at all. However, your perception of what resonance/reverb is in relation to your piano...maybe, perhaps, yes. If you posted a picture of the hammers and a quick sound recording, people could give you a better assessment of what might be necessary/appropriate in your situation.
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When your technician is next at your piano-have him/her identify the notes that are most out of voice as he/she hears things and see if you both agree. You both need to take the time to "understand" each other musically.
The cost would depend on so many other items in regulation, cleaning, and maintenance that might need addressing. You may have worn key-bushings by now as well.
It is not too hard for a technician skilled in tone-regulation to find a days worth of service that would greatly benefit the sound, feel and durability of a 50 year old piano. Little extras like removing mass from the top two or so octaves of hammers to reduce the woody "whack" sound could also be employed to benefit.
In a seemingly infinite universe-infinite human creativity is-seemingly possible. According to NASA, 93% of the earth like planets possible in the known universe have yet to be formed. Contact: toneman1@me.com
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