"D.L. Bullock" wrote: > Subject: Re: Soundboard Installation & MC > > > > What argument would there be for drying prior to installation? > > > > Has this become the "standard" because the "masters" did it that > > way back when it was a fact that the rim supported the crown? > > > > I suppose if you flat ribbed it and dried the bajeezers out of > > it, the rim just might help to hold a bit of crown - at least > > until it got off the showroom floor! > > > > Terry Farrell > > This is exactly the way a certain soundboard man "expert" in Cleves Ohio > does it. I went to purchase a panel to make a soundboard a few years ago > and was given the tour. He claimed to keep it all in the dry room, pulled > it out, glued "straight" ribs on and dried it again and put it in the piano > dry. He then pulled it out and let the ambient moisture in the room put ALL > the crown into the board. This was a great source of pride with him. That > is great down there near Cincinnati where the Ohio river is only a few miles > away, but move that piano to any other place and I have had to deal with at > least three other pianos he replaced the board on and they soon sound just > like my old antique pianos before any work and have lost their crown. > Needless to say I did not follow his advice and I put the crown into the > ribs like I was taught to do. My soundboards keep their crown. I just do > not replace any boards unless someone drove a truck through it. I always > recrown the old board to get the ultimate tone from the antiques. I was > taught by the old guys who are now dead and I have been doing this for over > thirty years. You cannot get the fullest tone from any piano with a new > soundboard. The wood simply does not exist, plus perhaps the 80 years or so > of age improves the sound of the old boards. I used to go to the huge > Steinway dealer in Dallas and visit their older Steinway room. I went from > piano to piano playing one chord. I then amazed my friend who was salesman > there when I told him perfectly which pianos had new boards and which did > not. > > I will expect flames now because there are too many technicians who do not > believe that recrowning is possible. I think the only flames you will get is this buisness about the aging of wood. We have a few folks here that adamantly deny that the acoustics of a peice of wood can possibly be influenced by its age. This despite the fact that the incidents of subjective observation to the contrary are so enormously numerous that it would seem impossible for the reasonable mind to avoid being forced to wonder whether or not the quanitfiable factors relative to soundboard acoustics are somewhat lacking. In anycase it seems to me that the validity of the "old wood" theory remains very much an open question. As for recrowning... seems like there are several on the list that espouse this proceedure. > > D.L. Bullock > www.thepianoworld.com > St. Louis -- Richard Brekne RPT, N.P.T.F. Bergen, Norway mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html
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