How deep do you typically needle this area and how many stiches do you use? I am thinking of the tenor range.

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I usually stab the centerline with a long needle then go from there. The needle tells more about the hammer than we can speculate.

Keith,

Except for the centerline stabs, how deep should one needle?

I'm not Keith, but....if you are new to this, start conservative. This means shallow. As Keith says, you can tell alot by what you feel once you start; but this takes experience. You don't want to kill the tone. In general I try to stay away from the area under the strike point, except for very shallow needling at the end. Work the shoulders, and have patience.

How many mm is shallow?

For shoulder needling, 2-3mm or so would be shallow. I would try a couple stitches in each shoulder, and then listen. Do this with a single needle, exposed about 5 or 6 mm out of the tool. Chances are you won't notice much difference at that, and you'll have to go deeper. Like I said above, just stay away from the area under the strike point.

There are different ways of doing this. You can go from the shoulder straight in towards the core. Sometimes I start a little higher, and go in a down and out direction. That has been my primary approach. Lately I have been experimenting with the Ari Isaacs method of going in from the side. It really depends on the hammer. Abels are good hammers, and respond well to voicing. Good Luck.

Thanks Roy and Keith for your advice,

I have deep needled the areas 9:00-10:30 and 13:30-15:00 with needles exposed 10mm out of the tool following the instruction on the Renner site. The tone has opened up nicely. I have done some shallow needling(2mm)in the area 10:30-13:30 but the tone is still too bright .

As you suggest I will do some deeper needling(>5mm)in the area 10:30-13:30 leaving the crown untouched.