Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Hammers for a very early Blüthner ?

Does anyone know of anyone who has an early Bluthner with original hammers? They should look like those in the last pic from this picture gallery: https://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthre.../42/Number/2736543/what/showgallery.html

We would like to get hammers of this type for exact reproduction.

Thank you!

The early Bluthner hammer picture is here http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/galleries/2736543.html

or here

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BxQhx79TSav9eDJuNndxcEtGWFU?usp=sharing

I believe Abel will recover them on the shanks in an authentic manner.

Pwg

Yes, I talked with Norbert but they only mimic the shape and weight, not the felt. They would also need an example. This is what we are looking for.

Have you tried Ronsen?

Pwg

So what is it about the felt that you are concerned about it? Should it be from Angora sheep pastured on the northwest slopes of the Matterhorn, individually tweezed by Swiss shepherdesses?

The chances of getting anything absolutely identical to something made in the 1800s get slimmer and slimmer the more identical you want it.

What other options are there besides Abel, Renner, Ronsen, and Isaac Cadenza for replacement hammers? I know some factories make there own like NY Steinway and Yamaha, but they only make the for their instruments, right?

Have you contacted James Reeder in Michigan to see whether the Blüthner factory might be able to do this for you?

Do you have any idea if these "Glocken" Bluthners used similar hammers to other Bluthners of the period, or different ones? If similar, it would ease your task of finding an appropriate instrument with original hammers.

Ha ha! The more you obsess, the more likely there will be dissatisfaction with results.

Roy Negron offered to exactly copy a historical hammer if a base hammer no 1 can be provided to him. Short of that he wanted exact measurements of an original set. This why I was asking if anyone knows an owner of a similar vintage instrument.

Try Hampshire Piano in Chesterfield, MA

Pwg

This is where all my pianos already are...

This is a very rare and unusual instrument. If there was anyone who could duplicate these hammers in the U.S. it would be Ray Negron IMO. He has 4 different types of felt to choose from.

Actually, the photos you posted show hammers that are still in pretty nice shape. I would hold off making any change until the very last. You may find that these hammers still produce good tone.

Pwg

David: I have not had any success with contacting the Swiss owner of the other similar extant 1850ies ‘Glockenfügel’ but perhaps should try again. At this point any owner of a similar vintage would be of interest.

Hmmm... I will have a think. I might be able to find one or two names, though I am not sure that their instruments would be early enough.

Did you get anywhere with Marc Widuch of Faszinationklaviere? He has had lots of early Bluthners go through his hands. I would have thought he might be able to put you in touch with one or two of the new owners?

I visited Marc in Munich after he kindly supplied pictures of the hammers he suspected to be the correct ones. Unfortunately he did not have any evidence to whom he sold this piano years ago.