Can one of you guys/gals with intimate contact with Steinway clear-up a conflict of information. I was once told by North Hudson Woodcraft that they ship full-size soundboard panels to Steinway, as opposed to just rough lumber...I assume they mean glued-up oversize panels which are then completed (ribbed, crowned, finished etc. in the Steinway factory). I mentioned this information in response to a question on rec.music.makers.piano (newsgroup), to which I received various attacks from a Mr Bob Sneider. He maintains that Steinway receives only a fraction of their stock from North Hudson, mostly they use Sitka from the NW, and that they *never* receive anything but rough lumber (he mentioned getting this information from F. Mohr). Apart from the aggressiveness of Mr Snyder's posts (which annoyed me) I am curious to know the *true* story on this...so, do any of you Steinway intimates know the history of Steinway boards, from tree to board? Perhaps Mr Mohr was simply exercising public relations when Mr Snyder called him. Another point: Since the mechanical properties of Sitka and Eastern White Spruce are so different, quality control would imply that they should not use them interchangeably, sometimes getting lumber from North Hudson, sometimes Sitka. Stephen Birkett (Fortepianos) Authentic Reproductions of 18th and 19th Century Pianos Waterloo, Ontario, Canada tel: 519-885-2228 fax: 519-763-4686
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