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I still haven't decided whether I'm going to spend $200 or so on another upright piano, or replace the hammers in the one I have.
I was talking on the #pianotech IRC chat yesterday and a couple of the regulars there (I'm one too, but I mean the regulars that are established techs) mentioned Ronsen Wurzen hammers and Imagedawa hammers, and if I understood correctly, the Imagedawa hammers are harder hammers.
Earlier this week I played a rebuilt Chickering 79B upright from 1891 (about 22 years older than my piano). I thought the tone was WAY too mellow for my taste. This morning I called the store, and he said the piano had Tokiwa or Imagedawa hammers.
So, if I go with Imagedawa or Ronsen Wurzens (or should I go with standard American Schaff?) would I still have to apply hardener to the hammers? I would prefer not to do that if I don't have to. I would like a tone similar to what a mid 20th century Baldwin Hamilton studio upright that's been used in a school setting usually has (assuming it has its original hammers) at MF and louder, but wouldn't mind a more mellow tone from MP to PP and lower.

Here are a few songs I played on the Chickering 79B upright , and a song I played on a Baldwin Hamilton that pretty much matches my description of the Hammie's tone.

So it looks like I'll need fairly hard hammers, and the Imagedawas in the Chickering are way too mellow. So, what are my other options?

Here's one played on my piano to give you an idea of what it sounds like (recorded with a couple Radio Shack microphones through a Mackie mixer with the treble on the channels boosted all the way, but still not nearly bright enough for my taste, and it really didn't make much of a difference to my ear vs hearing the piano live (listening to the recording with repaired Panasonic RP-HT355 headphones)).
My piano's hammers are totally worn, though, but the strings are new. If I end up getting a different piano, I'd like one (looking for Emerson or Krakauer (I like a 25-note bass with plain trichords down to A#2 but I'm flexible a little) for example) that's at least as good as-is than my piano would be if I put new hard hammers on it and regulated it.

88, your AS is in high gear. Slow down and think about this. Why would you want to sink money into something that will give you little return tonally speaking. Take that money and put it into an interest bearing savings account, and you'll be $200 dollars ahead to your goal of a new piano.

I'd really like to find a different piano, than get new hammers. It's just that I'm questioning the possibility of finding a good piano for $200 to $250 (the cost of new hammers).