Stephen Birkett wrote: > > Why are 180 year old unvarnished soundbaords still in perfect > condition while thickly varnished contemporary soundboards have an > expected life of perhaps 20 years? Stephen, First, I would question that any 180 year old soundboard is still in "perfect" condition. We really have no idea what that soundboard was like 180 years ago. Not even yours truely is that old yet, though sometimes I feel like it. Second, to compare the soundboard from a 180 year old instrument to one found in a "modern" piano is to compare onions to garlic. They simply aren't the same thing. No soundboard in a 180 year old instrument ever had to stand up to the stresses common to modern soundboards. What would have been the individual string tension in one of these scales? What about the total scale tension found in one of these instruments? How much downforce would have been typical? Etc. Third, I seriously doubt that soundboards built 180 years ago were bellied in the same manner as modern soundboards. How thick were they? How much crown would have been typical to one of these boards? What was their moisture content when they were ribbed? Nor is it likely that they were ribbed in the same manner. How many ribs would have been used? What was their shape? (Perhaps you could elaborate on the construction of soundboards of that era. Please.) I still maintain that in a so-called "modern" piano, it is best to seal the soundboard as well as possible from the elements surrounding it. Regards, ddfr
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC