Hammer Reshaping or “voicing” is part of necessary piano maintenance.  Most piano hammers need reshaping several times throughout the life of the instrument. We recommend about every 15 years to keep your piano sounding great.

Learn more about Hammer Reshaping and Voicing

Piano hammers will become compacted and get deep grooves in them from the hammer hitting the piano strings over and over year after year (see picture below). This affects the tone of the piano and can create a “dull” or “tinny” tone.

To reshape hammers and restore good tone, the layers of felt must be removed, usually through sanding, to “reshape” the strike point (the point that is striking the string) and return it to a nice rounded shape.

Hammer Reshaping on a 1967 Knabe Grand

Once the hammers are back to that nice rounded shape, it’s a good idea to perform regulation on the piano. That will ensure the hammer’s “strike point” hits all three strings at the same time. If the strings are not even, it can cause buzzing, vibrations, or echoes in the sound.

Is the tone of your piano sounding dull? Schedule a Gold full day service or Silver half day service with us HERE, which includes cleaning, Hammer Reshaping and voicing, regulation, and tuning!  We can get your piano sounding great again!