Soundboard Flat Area

[Ritchiepiano@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 2/15/01 11:30:09 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
Erwinpiano@email.msn.com writes:

<< Terry
  Read your post carefully as well as Ron Ns and still had some
 questions and reservation. <snip>    
  Further in spite of perceived falsness  in strings
 what does the overall tone of the piano sound like and does the spot with
 least bearing have weak notes or shorter sustain.

Terry-
I think Dale makes some very valid points here. The overall tone
of the instrument in question should also be an important factor 
in determining the value of the existing board. 
I remember Bill Spurlock relating an incident where a piano 
"hobbyist" bought a piece of some type of plywood and made
a soundboard out of it. Bill said "It wasn't the greatest sounding piano,
but you know - it wasn't that bad".
I am NOT an expert on soundboards as Ron or Dale or others
may be, but I have strung a few pianos with boards that did
not have the optimum amount of crown everywhere. They still
sound pretty good to me today. Maybe better than a few replacement, 
or new soundboards I have heard in the same elapsed amount of time 
10 to 20 yrs. False Beats? Look at the bridges. You said it had been 
re-strung, probably no attention was paid to them.
  
   >>    How those questions are answered would give a little clearer idea of
 the true need for a sndboard transplant.  The use of several styles of
 gauges are useful in order to accurately determine the measurable bearing in
 the strung piano especially one with so many ????  The rocker,bubble gauge
 and also using a thread fished thru or along side the agraffe and(might need
 to remove a damper)over the bridge can sometimes be the most revealing and
 each gauge  serves to clarify.<<
 
By all means... you can't really take enough measurements-- I have 
filing cabinets full of them. But mostly it won't tell you what a piano
is going to sound like in the final judgment. Though your judgment may
improve with some time and experience. (Not always see below *Oh So Many)
Many more boards DO need replaced now, but don't throw the baby out
with the bath water.

just an opinion
Mark Ritchie RPT

>> If this were me I would state my opinion to the client  as best as I
 could determine them and perhaps reserve the final judgment as to its
 replacing  the board upon teardown and subsequent remeasuring of the crown
 and bearing with a bearing /crown string.  This is often S.O.P. here 
 
       What if the flat spot disappears upon string removal?  Or what if the
 bearing was originally set in a none uniform way?   I don't know, I'm not
 there to experience all the variables as you are but these are some of the
 things going thru my mind after I read the posts.  That being said I don't
 want to enter into this kind a rebuilding contract with my hands tied to an
 old board with obvious question marks.  Do you know what I mean?  I want the
 freedom to  succeed.
      I hope all would take a lesson from your thoroughness  as I have made
 mistakes in the past by not being so and regretted it.(In Oh So Many Ways)
        Dale Erwin
  >>