Selecting Replacement Hammers
The Louis Renner company produces the hammerheads for the world’s finest piano makers, as they have done for over 130 years, and have grown to become the largest, independent, producer of hammerheads in the world. The German Steinway, Bösendorfer, Fazioli, Schimmel, Bechstein, Blüthner, Estonia, Förster, and Steingräber are among the world’s premium pianos that use Renner hammers which are produced to each manufacturer’s specifications. Our selection of hammers for the North & South American markets include the following premium product lines which incorporate the original designs developed early in the 20th century for vintage Steinway and other quality pianos. These superior hammerheads are produced utilizing the most advanced technology and state-of-the-art machinery in the industry, combined with the finest German hand-craftsmanship.
The Grand hammers are made in five basic weights, from Gross 2 (12 lb.) to Gross 5 (18 lb.) with an additional Gross 6 (20 lb.) size available in the Hamburg Collection. Our standard and long molding sizes normally fit 80% of the pianos you are likely to encounter. Three universal molding sizes are also available in both Premium Blue, and Premium Blue Point, which can be custom bored, shaped, and tailed for the remaining 20% of grand pianos. The upright hammers are available in two basic sizes which will fit nearly every upright piano.
Renner Premium Blue
The original hammer designed and offered by Renner USA that delivers outstanding performance in all makes and models of quality grand pianos. These hammerheads achieved their popularity over more than 30 years by providing superior tone and sound quality without requiring the use of lacquer or chemical hardeners.
Renner Premium “Blue Points”
The newer Premium Blue Point hammers feature the legendary Weickert Special felt, which was re-developed by the Würzen felt company and the Louis Renner Company with the cooperation of some top piano manufacturers. They are made exclusively for Renner USA, and pressed into a more pointed shape than traditional hammerheads to enable technicians and pianists to fully experience the many advantages of this amazing felt recipe. These high-tension hammers are known to produce a warm, clear tone, an incredible dynamic range, big sustains, and more. They offer stability and durability and also do not require the use of lacquer or chemical hardeners to produce tone. The “Blue Points” typically require less needling than our Premium Blue hammers and can be easily voiced to produce the desired tone in any environment. See additional information below.
NEW Renner Hamburg Hammers
Designed for use in newer Hamburg Steinway & Sons grand pianos produced since 1970.
Wider width and heavier weight.
Special Features of the Renner Blue Point and Premium Blue Hammerheads
Hammer Felt
The special hammer felts used in all of our Renner hammers are produced by the Würzen Felt Company in the former East Germany, which supplied vintage Steinway and other quality pianos their special hammer felt for over 100 years. The Weickert Special felt, featured in our Premium “Blue Point” hammers, became unavailable for several decades following World War II during the Russian occupation, and became available again with the reunification of Germany thanks to collaboration with Renner and some of Renner’s piano manufacturing customers. It continues to be the finest hammer felt produced in the world, resulting in the widest possible harmonic and dynamic tonal range with a minimum of voicing required.
Hammer Molding
The molding used in the Renner Premium Blue and Blue Point hammers is a special species of Walnut wood, grown in Germany. It is carefully selected for its uniform, lighter weight, and responsiveness. It is aged naturally, prior to final conditioning, to assure long term stability and performance in different climatic environments.
Renner Compression Clasp
Each of our hammerheads incorporates the exclusive Renner T-Clasp™ to maintain the desired felt tension and even weight distribution within each hammer. This unique clasp is made from a proprietary, surface-coated, hardened steel, which is used to lock the felt to the base of the molding without damaging individual felt fibers. To assure uniformity, each clasp is optically sorted and matched by computer to assure the correct dimensions and alignment of the stems. The clasps are then inserted electronically into each hammerhead, one-at-a-time, applying equal pressure to both sides of the hammerhead, to assure uniform tension and perfect centering and alignment of each clasp. Each hammerhead is then hand inspected individually to assure absolute perfection.
Hammerhead Presses
Our unique hammerhead presses allow for the perfect centering of the outer and under felt on the hammer molding, with special sensors controlling the amount of pressure and temperature applied to each individual hammer across the scale. This protects the structure and integrity of the felt during the pressing process, and results in the optimum tension and responsiveness of each individual hammer.
Hammer Specifications
Universal Piano Hammers
Upright Piano Hammers
Renner Hammer Services
Renner USA offers a wide array of custom hammer technical services which include: custom hammerhead boring, pre-filing and pre-voicing the hammers, and hanging the hammers to the original factory specifications or to custom shank lengths provided or copied from samples. Learn More about Renner Piano Hammer Services.
Contact Us
Phone Number: 480.575.1700
Toll-Free: 877.475.1700
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Renner USA
Administration Office
P.O. Box 3440
Carefree, Arizona 85377
Renner USA Warehouse
and Technical Shop
7755 E Redfield Road
Suite 200
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
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