Archive for March, 2019

WNG Rebuilder Series: Bruce Stevens

Posted on: March 18th, 2019 by WNG

Bruce Stevens, the owner of Bruce Stevens Piano Tuning & Restoration, has been a registered piano technician for over forty years. He works out of his piano shop in Bellflower, California and services the West Los Angeles area to South Bay, up into Orange County. In this video, Bruce shares his experience working with Wessell, Nickel, & Gross parts and their versatility in his various rebuilds, his customers’ reaction to using our composite actions, and the connection that WNG has with the rebuilding community.

“From the parts to the tools, WNG seems like they’re thinking ahead, thinking about what the technician needs, thinking what might make their life easier…they have that kind of connection with our community.”

When beginning an installation, rebuild, or remodel, piano technicians and rebuilders know that selecting the right parts is essential. Often, there are challenges and problems on the manufacturer level—sometimes this means hammers are glued in the wrong place, or that the top action is positioned incorrectly, which can lead to inconsistency in the feel and weight of the keys. As Bruce explains, when it comes to actions, the geometry of the heel and knuckle placement play a large part in determining the feel and dynamic weight of the keys. Wessell, Nickel, & Gross offers a wide variety of options that are suitable for almost every piano project and type. With 9 heel sizes, 14 heel locations, 4 knuckle sizes, and 9 knuckle locations, WNG parts have the most customization in the industry, giving the technicians the freedom to keep the piano’s original specification or even make it better.

I’m able to select the right parts, and I emphasize that because it’s not just a whippen assembly—it’s the heel height, it’s the selection of the right shank and knuckle, and everything I need, WNG offers.

As piano technicians ourselves, we designed our parts and tools to be as easy to use and accessible as possible to technicians like Bruce Stevens, and the rebuilding community as a whole. Much of the inspiration and creativity in creating our products came from our own experiences and the need for quality piano actions with an emphasis on flexibility, customizable action geometry, and longevity.

WNG Rebuilder Series: David Sposto

Posted on: March 3rd, 2019 by WNG

David Sposto of Sposto Piano has been a piano technician for thirty nine years, servicing the Los Angeles and Orange County area. He provides custom piano rebuilds, restorations, and installations out of his workshop in Long Beach. In this interview we ask David about his experience working with Wessell, Nickel, & Gross (WNG) actions and parts. He shares three main features why technicians and customers love our products.

Flexibility and consistency. Due to WNG’s unique and innovative materials, composite actions deliver the same quality of sound and performance regardless of changes in humidity or climate. Our epoxy carbon fiber hammer shanks do not experience any loss of energy from bending or wobbling, and unlike wood, each shank is exactly the same strength. This ensures that the player and customer will experience consistent touch, feel, and sound in their instrument, even at a professional concert level.

Customizable parts. WNG actions provide a variety of interchangeable parts from heels to shanks to repetitions. We provide an extensive list of customizable parts to accommodate all different kinds of rebuilds, installations, and restorations that make it easy and convenient for technicians. From back actions to anodized aluminium capstans, we offer and match parts from every major piano manufacturer.

It’s got a built-in flexibility, it allows me to customize feel, especially if a customer likes a light feel or a heavy feel—you can actually try things and let them see how they like it.
— David Sposto
Registered Piano Technician and Rebuilder

Longevity. The backbone and core of WNG’s piano actions is its iconic black composite material. Not to be confused with simple plastic, this advanced composite material is much stronger and durable than wood. Additionally, our bushings are made out of an innovative hard, dense material. Not only is this material completely impervious to moisture, but keeps extremely stable pin torque and uniform touch after being tested at 40 million blows.

These three features are just some of the many reasons why Wessell, Nickel, & Gross is the best and preferred product for piano players and technicians alike, and why it comes standard with every modern Mason & Hamlin piano.