Replacing Hammer Heads

Replacing Piano hammers is not a quickly done job. It can appear easy and straightforward to take off the old hammers and and replace them with new ones, but like everything else to do with a piano action, unless the job is done neatly and evenly, the end result will be a poorly sounding piano and a miserable technician! Not what you want after an expensive and time-consuming project.

The cost of a set of piano hammers is more than most people would like to spend on an interesting experiment. If the experiment goes wrong, you will have to spend more money get someone to fix it. A set of new hammer heads must match the old ones. A 5mm difference here or a slight change of angle there, will only guarantee you yet more hassle and grief to get the piano to play properly when you've done all the work.

The first job is to dismantle the action. (The job is similar for a grand piano but for the sake of clarity, the instructions here are for an upright piano.) Disconnecting tapes and taking off the levers will give good access to the hammer flange screws. Take the hammers off, place them on a tray and number them – just in case they, for some reason, get mixed up. Most new hammer heads come already bored - if your set is not already bored, you have yet another 'mountain' to climb. The secret of success in action work is in the precision and care with which it is carried out.  

Removing the old hammer heads from the shanks is done one at a time, using a special tool called a shank extractor. Some technicians like to leave guide hammers on the action so that the new hammers can be lined up to keep the same line as the old ones. Other technicians prefer to take exact measurements from the each hammer as it is being dealt with. If guide hammers are used, it is important to fit the right hammer head to these guide hammers. 

With the old head removed, the shank cleaned of old glue, (any broken shanks replaced) it is quite simple to glue the new hammer head onto the shank. It helps if the fit is firm and snug without being too tight. If the fit is on the tight side, take care not to twist the shank when fitting the new hammer head. Brittle, old shanks break easily. 

When ready, refit the hammers back onto the action frame. The ‘noses’ of the new hammers heads should be in a nice straight line. There is a number of ways of replacing hammer heads, all of them are perfectly acceptable if done well. Fitting the hammer heads to new pianos is done in seconds, but away from the factory, dealing with replacement parts it is a much slower process. 

Putting the action back into the piano is the start of another set of very technical adjustments to ensure the proper working of the piano action.

Do not underestimate what is involved in getting a piano to work well. A change to any part in the fabric of the mechanism has a knock-on effect on the function of the action, how the piano plays, and how it sounds. 

If only replacing piano hammers were like replacing a failed light bulb! Then, any careful amateur could do it. But the reality is that replacing hammer heads is not really a job for the amateur - at least not without professional advice and help. 

At best, this article can only be an introduction to the very basics of the job. So please, be careful!

Technical File

© Steve Burden

Yamaha Pianos

The piano industry in Japan was slow to gather momentum during the later years of the 19th century. Early development of the piano was very much a European affair. At the Paris Exposition in 1878 a Japanese square piano (not a Yamaha) was exhibited. In 1880 Torakusu Yamaha began making Western musical instruments.

Beginning by building an organ, and confident enough of its qualities, he carried it over the mountains of Hakone to the Music Institute for their inspection and approval. Perhaps unkindly, the organ was harshly criticised for its poor tuning. This set-back only spurred Tarasuku on to further studies. Like any self-respecting musical instrument maker, he began studying music theory and tuning!

After much hard work, he mastered the basics and was able to apply his newly acquired knowledge and deeper understanding to making his western musical instruments.

Piano tuners are almost duty bound to approve of Yamaha's using tuning forks in their logo - after all, it emphasises the fundamental importance of tuning!

The 3 tuning forks of the Yamaha Logo represent the 3 pillars of the business - technology, production and sales. They also symbolise the essential elements of music: melody, harmony and rhythm.

He began production of pianos in 1900 and by 1910 he was making 600 pianos per year. The 20th century threw up many challenges for the piano industry - especially in Japan. Yamaha lost a factory to fire in 1922 and and office to an earthquake in 1923. The second world war was no less devastating. After the war, Yamaha restarted production with the benefit of casting their own metal frames.

The constant quest for product improvement has borne fruit in Yamaha's unquestionable reputation for consistency and a rugged reliability. Their pianos have become an industry bench-mark standard.

Yamaha Serial Nos.

Directory of Piano Makers

© Steve Burden

A Good Piano

A good piano, wherever it is, appears to have an open invitation to any passing pianist to sit and play. Piano manufacturers like a Steinway, Bluthner, Bechstein, Fazioli, Bosendorfer etc. all have established reputations to maintain, and they continue to produce highly respected pianos which are greatly treasured by their owners! 

The search for a good piano usually eliminates the lesser-known, relatively inexpensive pianos. But many very fine pianos have faithfully served their owners and given hours and hours of music-making pleasure to all who appreciate piano music even though the name on the front may not be widely known.   

It is a mistake for pianists with more modest means, to think that buying a really good piano has to cost a fortune. For the more fortunate, no price is too much to pay for a particular piano. For most, the best piano available for a given cost will have to do. Interestingly, expensive does not guarantee 'good' and a low price does not always mean wasted money. There are so many variables with pianos that dogmatic generalisations are unhelpful. Seek advice where possible.

Popular opinion seems to prefer a grand piano over an upright piano. As a general rule however, a good upright piano is better than an average grand piano. A baby grand piano is chosen as much for its elegant looks as for its value as a piano. If you are wanting to spend a fixed amount of money on a baby grand OR an upright piano, almost certainly, the upright will be a better piano than the grand.

In days of old, to categorise grand pianos, odd names were used e.g. boudoir grands, semi-grands, cottage grands and mini grands. All had clear meanings when these pianos were sold originally, but today manufacturers generally distinguish their grand pianos by giving their size. The exceptions might be the terms Baby Grand and Concert Grand.

The very best pianos will always be expensive to buy. Most people manage to come to terms with the best piano they can afford. Dreams of one day buying a Steinway or something similar is a very worthy aspiration! Dreams - even dreams about pianos, come true!  

The Piano World

© Steve Burden 

Pianology