Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Does the Reyburn Grand Cyberhammer provide a stable setting?

"Based on my experience and despite the very high price, I can recommend the impact hammer to all people that tune grands. I think in the hands of a pro it definitely will be faster than a conventional hammer. And please note that I have no commercial relation with Reyburn at all. I don't mean to advertise here..." Pseudonym HansC2

You've tuned a few strings with only one hammer. We'll take note of your recommendation and give it the weight it deserves.

David, why not give it a try yourself and share your experiences at PW. It would be much appreciated by me.

My statement is based on the fact that it is easy to learn and it only requires a simple and fast movement with the wrist.

Let me know if you agree with me after trying. Thanks.

Welyan, what do you exactly mean with the rendering problem. I am not sure I understand you.

In fairness to Hans, he's made it abundantly clear that he's a complete novice about tuning and about hammers, too: so I take it he's just expressing the natural exuberance of a novice. And the Rayburn hammer is hardly a novelty, in any case; a variation on the T-wrench hammer, which has been around at least since the invention of the clavier.

Yea, it's just funny to hear a complete novice lecturing professionals on what kind of piano hammer they should use.

Indeed it is funny that well respected professionals such as for example Bill Bremmer give respectful and sincere advice, even to novices like me. It was Bill that confirmed me that the impact style of tuning was relative easy to learn and fast. I agree. And nobody is lecturing anybody.

Dear David, three colleague piano technicians in the Netherlands that did not solve a problem at my grand (total cost about €800) showed the same arrogance and superiority as you did in your post. It was this experience that made me decide to start doing things myself. With excellent results. So now I will not ask a so called professional to service my grand anymore. When I would have been able to find a professional as for example Bill Bremmer, I never would have felt the urge to start doing things myself.

New technology (such as the Grand CyberHammer and EPT) can and will change the piano industry. The best professionals will be interested in this new technology and will adapt to it.

And be aware: people that are afraid to be lectured will not learn...

I wish you all the best.

Cheers,
Hans

Similar experience for me as well a few years ago - a well-known local "pro" with wrong attitude - no thanks. I'm very happy to tune and regulate my piano myself since some years now. Never thought I would, but never looked back since then. Glad you enjoy your new Cyberhammer.

"Flagpoling" is not an evil word. I find it to be an essential part of tuning technique. Unnecessary or uncontrolled flagpoling is another matter.

I didn't say anything nasty about flagpoling... I am sure that it is useful in some way. Actually, the link to the video in my original post also shows how one can make a controlled flagpole with the Grand CyberHammer.

While I am not personally interested in an impact tuning hammer, I have to take issue with the presumption that one cannot feel the pin move when using one. That is not true. Ask Nate Reyburn if he can. I can see in the video that he can. Every time I strike my tuning hammer, I feel the pin move.

Hi Bill,

Please note that after trying the hammer myself, I posted later in this thread that I definitely feel the pin move. So I agree with you that one can feel the turning of the pin with an impact style of tuning.

It was not my intention to ask manufacturer Nathan Reyburn to make statements about the hammer in this post because probably that would have been disputed by other professionals... However, I did send him a link to this post albeit not with the intention to let him react on it. And obviously (and understandably) he choose not to respond to this post.

The reason for my original post was to invite professionals that actuality use(d) the Grand CyberHammer themselves to share their experiences. Besides of Patrick, no other professional did. John and I are not professionals. Maybe I should ask Nathan how many hammers he sold up till now and what kind of people buy them...

Last few weeks after my first tuning with the Reyburn Grand CyberHammer, I found that two trichord keys showed one string that was unstable and out of tune after a few days. I didn't understand it because the rest of the keys were very stable after tuning them with the Grand CyberHammer. I asked Nathan Reyburn for advise. He explained me that the last impact bump should always be one were you actually feel the pin move. This guarantees that the pin is left without any stress. A very logical suggestion. After retuning the problematic strings in this way they are stable now.

So feeling the movement of the pin is an important feature of the impact style of tuning and essential for a stable pin setting.

@Bill Bremmer: do you agree on this advise? Thanks!