Reyburn Tuning Hammer Vs. Rosewood Tuning Hammer Review
Here we have the best (Reyburn) and the worst (Rosewood) piano tuning hammers I've ever owned.
I tune the highest quality pianos in the world with my Reyburn tuning hammer, but will only perform stringing work with my Rosewood tuning lever.
Reyburn and Rosewood tuning hammer similarities
Same length
Interchangeable tip (Specific tip type is different)
Reyburn produces hammers in Rosewood as well as my figured Maple tuning hammer
Same Length
Both levers are roughly the same length (19 inches). This means that the leverage is technically the same. However, the flexibility of either lever is much different, which means the response or 'feel' of the tuning hammers differ significantly.
Interchangeable Tip
Both tuning hammers have the ability to change the tuning lever tip according to their specific style. Though, the specific style of tip on each lever are different.
Both wooden handles are made available in Rosewood
While my Reyburn tuning lever is made up of high gloss figured Maple, it's possible to select a high gloss figured Rosewood finish on the handle of your Reyburn tuning hammer.
Reyburn and Rosewood tuning hammer differences
Price
High Gloss vs. Grain finish
Hollow vs. Solid Handle
Materials (Hollow Carbon Fiber vs. Solid Rod)
Tuning lever head vs. tuning lever tip
Flexibility vs. Rigidity
Price
The Reyburn Lever is one of the highest priced tuning hammers on the market. It's more than twice as expensive as the Rosewood Lever.
Reyburn Lever - $595
Rosewood Lever - $239
High Gloss vs. Grain Finish
The finish of the wooden handles are quite different. The Reyburn lever has a high gloss finish that is as smooth as glass to the touch, whereas the Rosewood lever has a grain finish that feels wooden to the touch.
Hollow vs. Solid Handle
The Reyburn lever is hollowed out for weight purposes, as a lightweight tuning hammer is much preferred as a piano tuner.
The Rosewood lever is made up of a solid rod and a solid wooden handle. This makes for a much heavier lever, and gives it a starkly different 'feel' when tuning with this tool.
Materials
The Reyburn tuning hammer is made up of exotic carbon fiber and figured wood which contributes to its artistic nature. These materials are costly and are reflected accordingly in the purchase price.
The Rosewood tuning hammer is made up of simpler materials that are economically sourced. While Rosewood contains a beautiful wood grain, the tuning hammer is produced with much less sophistication.
Tuning Tip Type
The Reyburn tips and the Rosewood heads are to be ordered from a piano supply company which have a different name/specification for each hammer.
More specifically...
The Rosewood lever has a tuning lever "head" instead of a "tip," which means that the tuning lever "head" has a different design, which screws on in a different fashion than a tuning lever "tip".
Flexibility vs. Rigidity
The Reyburn tuning hammer is highly rigid, which is preferable compared to inferior levers, which tend to have more flex.
The Rosewood lever is extremely flexible, which is often regarded as non-preferable. It also causes inefficiencies in tuning, which contribute to longer tuning times.
