Ronsen Piano Hammer Co. Products line:

   We cater to the needs of piano technicians/ rebuilders and their requests for a product that can easily produce the unique tonal preferences they and their clients require. 
    Different manufacturing methods of felt making will produce a variety of tonal characteristics. By providing various types of felt, we can offer the technician a variety of hammer choices with ever increasing levels of voicing versatility. To that goal We offer four choices of hammer felts: 
    
We offer 2 sizes of hammer heads. The 14 & 16 lb.The 14 lb is lighter and recommended for smaller grands 5 to 6ft. The 16 lb. for larger pianos.

    The  Legendary Weickert special felt,
 is the latest development in hammer felt recently re-introduced by the Wurzen felt co. of Germany. This is  the Ronsen Co.s new flag ship hammer of choice for all high end restoration. This uniquely produced felt was used on all Steinways and many other quality Pianos for 90 years prior to WW-2. (See complete press release information)
   This particular felt produces our most versatile hammer. Inherent in its characteristics are its fantastic ability to create enormous sustain, tone color and power with very little voicing.
   Our goal is to produce a hammer that only requires only light needle work initially and later minor shoulder voicing. Play in time develops this hammer further.The hammer plays in quickly and is easily maintained. Light maple is the suggested molding for this felt.


    The Wurzen felt Co.--- AA felt has been a formidable industry presence since 2003 & is the felt of choice by many hammer makers in Europe, America and around the globe. It too provides for a powerful sound and gorgeous tone color production in a wide range of piano types. This hammer is easy to develop with light shoulder needling to increase sustain & color. 
 Note: The Wurzen felt co. formerly J.D. Weickert felt co, was re-privatized in 1991. The AA grand piano quality felt came out some time after 2000 & has been used by us since that time.

  The Bacon Co. felt, is made in America and has long been used by some of the leading piano manufactures in the U.S. including Steinway and Baldwin as well as many prominent rebuilders.
 This  dark toned hammer at the beginning develops its complete beauty with play in time. A beautifully rich and silky sound. Excellent for bright acoustic environments.
  When needed it will also respond to traditional Steinway type tone building protocols but without the usual strong solution of hardeners. A very versatile hammer choice. The favorite of many rebuilders and a perfect substitute for the N.Y. Steinway hammer.

 The VFG felt, made in Germany has been a Ronsen staple since 1998. It is a perfect choice for many uprights & less expensive grands. This is a brighter toned hammer which has a more linear sound, which some prefer. It plays in readily & will require needle work later to open up the color spectrum. Instant tone right out of the box. A real time saver.

 
The Ronsen Piano Philosophy for hammer making.
 
   The Ronsen piano hammer is a replication of the hammers made in the Golden age of piano making... prior to WW -2. .
    Ronsen procures only the finest interlocked artisan made hammer felt from America and Germany
  The hammer press employed is a traditional Dolge type hand screw press which very effectively stretches & compresses the felt to achieve the desired density & hardness. 
  A piano hammer is technically a non- linear felt spring and the  spring rate is what determines the tone and sustaining qualities of the piano.
    The hallmark of Ronsen  hammers are their ability to produce excellent sustain and tone color right out of the box. These hammers develop their full potential in the traditional way as they are played in and never become glassy or strident.
  Play in allows for a more complex tonal development to occur over time which provides a very voicing stable hammer. This makes for a piano that has a consistent stable musical tone, which is a pleasure to play. The voicing is effortless to maintain over time.
     The beauty of the Ronsen hammers  are their ability to produce this wonderful tone from the first moment without applying  strong hardening solutions or applying vigorous needling protocols. The felt does the work.
 
Our position on voicing protocols:
  Any hammer that requires excessive amounts of needle work or heavy hardening solutions may prove difficult for the technician to achieve the desired tonal outcome and  may result in poor voicing stability. It may be a deficiently made hammer and may be considered defective.
  Or...in fairness to all hammer makers... Simply the wrong hammer choice for that given soundboard system and string scale!!  Larger pianos have heavier string scales and larger soundboards and require larger and denser hammers.

 We strongly recommend hammer sampling to determine what hammer is best for your piano.
 Please Call for a Voicing/hammer recommendations & consultation.