> Thanks, Ron. That's very helpful. The cumulative loss of compression > would be due to repeated cycling of high to low humidity, yes? Resulting > in crushed wood fiber structure? Hi Fred, Yes. Compression crowned boards start out with damagingly high compression levels in the panel anyway. Add wide seasonal humidity swings, and compression damage accumulates. > I'll start examining pianos with a little more care and attention. > Partly it's a question of knowing precisely what to be looking at and > listening for. And having the tools to measure. Mostly high attack level distortion in the top half of the scale, noticed first in the dry season when the piano sounded much better last (relatively) wet season. You'll notice differences. The worst of them will likely show zero to negative bearing, and concave crown. Played softly they might still sound quite nice, but they've lost the top half of their potential dynamic range. It's not dramatic, like flipping a switch, but creeps up on you over time. Hopefully, that is. I've seen supposedly fine new pianos right off of the truck with boards I'd condemn as needing replaced, and others that sound better after a hundred years than they have any right to. > BTW, I recently constructed a home made version of the Lowell gauge > (when I finally decided to spring for one a few years ago, it had become > unavailable). I'll post pictures for those interested. > Regards, > Fred Sturm You bet! Ron N
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