Soundboard Thoughts (Kind of long) reply

[pianoman]

Amen, on Barbi Benton.
James Grebe
R.P.T. from St. Louis
pianoman@inlink.com
"I am only as good as my last tuning"

----------
> From: Danny Moore <danmoore@ih2000.net>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: Soundboard Thoughts (Kind of long)
> Date: Friday, December 12, 1997 12:39 AM
> 
>  >Del said:
> 
> > We say we want the piano to "sound like it did when it was new." The
trouble
> > with all of this lovely sentiment is -- we don't have a clue as to what
it
> > sounded like when it was new.
> 
> Stephen Birkett wrote:
> 
> > We don't have to have been there to deduce the original character of
> > something.<<snip>>
> > 1. Board A is deteriorated and consequently the piano it's in is not
sounding
> > its best. Fix it, replace it, whatever it takes....
> > 2. Board B is in perfect condition and, notwithstanding other
considerations,
> > ephermera that need replacing, the piano is presumably sounding as it
did
> > when new (more of less).
> >
> > The debate is really whether case 2. occurs.
> 
> Stephen, Del, List, et. al.:
> 
> I submit that the debate is really a matter of the personal preference of
the
> builder, rebuilder, customer, player, listener, whomever is involved. 
There
> are those who prefer the progressive sound of Rick Wakeman playing a 9'
lucite
> Yamaha, while others prefer the energy produced by baroque played on a
vintage
> instrument with historic tuning.
> 
> Does anyone doubt that Del and several other experienced designers we all
know
> can improve the design and engineering of virtually any piano they choose
to
> study?  Not likely!  Today's designers have not only 300 years of history
to
> draw from, but technology that was virtually unavailabe 20 years ago.
> 
> I like Del's statement "I didn't start replacing soundboards because I
didn't
> have anything better to do with my time.  It was because I was becoming
> increasingly dissatisfied with the results of rebuilding pianos with the
old
> boards still in them."  I suspect his dissatisfaction was based on the
sound of
> the instrument after the rebuild.
> 
> I also suspect that Stephen has chosen to focus his expertise on historic
> instruments, not because he thinks they are somehow objectively superior
to
> modern instruments, but because he likes the way they sound.
> 
> It is my suggestion that we admit the difference between personal
preference
> and design excelence.  One is subjective while the other is objective. 
George
> Jones has certainly sold more records than Luciano Pavarotti over a
recording
> career that spans almost 50 years.  Does that make him a "better" singer?
> 
> Personally, if I were absolutely forced to choose, I would have to pick
Barbi
> Benton over Marilyn Monroe.
> 
> Danny Moore
> Houston Chapter
> 
>