Is German Hammer Felt An Important Feature
- Naperville Music Staff
- Mar 2
- 3 min read
In the piano world, German Hammer Felt, specifically from legendary manufacturers like Wurzen or Abel are the "gold standard" for hammer construction, but is it a requirement for a quality piano?
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The importance of German hammer felt lies in its specialized processing and natural characteristics:
Long-Fiber Wool: High-quality German felt uses premium, long-staple wool fibers that are interlocking naturally rather than being held together by heavy glues. This creates a "spring-like" elasticity, allowing the hammer to rebound instantly from the string for maximum sustain.
Superior Voicing Potential: Because of its density and resilience, this felt is highly responsive to "needling." A technician can "voice" the hammers to be exceptionally soft for impressionistic music or brilliantly bright for Lisztian power, without the felt losing its structural integrity.
Tonal Depth (The "Singing" Quality): German felt is famous for producing a warm, "thick" fundamental tone. It filters out harsh, metallic overtones, providing the European "singing" sound that many classical and jazz pianists crave .
Consistency and Purity: German mills use traditional, slow-pressing methods (often cold-pressing) that preserve the natural lanolin in the wool. This prevents the felt from becoming "brittle" or "glassy" over time, ensuring your piano’s voice stays consistent for years of practice.
Dynamic Sensitivity: The high "tension" within a German-made hammer allows for a wider dynamic range. You can play a whisper-quiet pianissimo that still has clarity, or a thunderous fortissimo that sounds rich rather than "shouty”.
However, most musicians would agree that a quality piano does not always need German hammer felt. Here is why "German felt" isn't a universal requirement:
Manufacturer Specs: Many respected manufacturers use high-quality domestic or proprietary felts. For example, brands like Yamaha, Kawai, Pearl River and others often use their own felt, which is engineered to match their instruments' specific action and sound profile.
Tonal Preferences: German felt is prized for its density and ability to produce a powerful, clear tone. However, some technicians and players prefer other types, such as Ronsen (American), which can offer a more mellow tone.
Cost vs. Quality: For entry-level or student pianos, the high cost of premium German felt may not be justified. Standard high-quality wool felt is often sufficient for these instruments.
Ritmuller pianos use German Renner hammers in their pianos, and that component includes German hammer felt. Ritmuller pianos are well known for offering premium quality European design and components at a significantly less cost to the piano buyer.
Many Pearl River pianos use proprietory imported felt that is formed and fastened over select hardwood cores for maximum resilience and structural integrity.
The inner felt varies among different models; for instance, the Ritmüller RSH series has an elegant blue color for a sound that is clean and pure. The Pear River Prestige Series uprights feature a premium red inner felt to produce the depth and resonance of much larger instruments with an expanded sweet spot of bass.
Specifications are subject to change.
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Naperville Music has been a trusted piano dealer in the Chicago area for over 50 years. Naperville Music offers new acoustic pianos from Pearl River, and Ritmuller, Digital Pianos from Yamaha and Pearl River, as well as pre-owned instruments from most major manufacturers including Yamaha, Kawai, Baldwin, Roland, Casio and others. If you are in Chicago or the Chicago suburbs, be sure to check our our modern piano showroom before you make your piano purchase.
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The information and views expressed in our blog posts are gathered from various sources, and are consistent with the views of Naperville Music. Pianos, whether new, used, or digital are a very personal purchase and you should experience any piano to be sure it meets your specific needs before you purchase one.
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