---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment In a message dated 3/17/2002 10:34:28 PM Pacific Standard Time, mstory@ewu.edu writes: I too am rebuilding my first one of these. 1905 6 ft. 3"It has screws through each rib as well and if it didn't they would have parted company with the panel long ago. J.D has a great deal of exper. with these and he says the glue maker wasn't any good. Interesting thing about this piano . It's board design is remarkably the same as the model that Del posted a month or so ago and the types of re- designs discussed frequently on the list. I'm having fun with this one. It already has some rib fanning which has allowed some redesign ( more fanning and an extra rib in order to float the bass end of the board. Interesting but odd grain orientations which I changed to get more long grain in front of the top trebles an such for stiffness. Lumpy string scale now recaled & Horrible bass string design now changed as well. J.D says none of them sound like Bluethners any way!! so why not. Sounds like they were having an identity crisis. >>>>>>>>>>>>>Dale Erwin>>>>>>>>>> > > > I rebuilt one of these about 12 years ago. It's now in the Washington State > capital building. I agree that the screws in the board are probably the > source of the confusion. This piano seems to match in every other way the > eBay piano. The board was flat; no tone; the pinblock was too bad. I think > it was about the same age too. Doesn't have the "patent" action, but the > strings were awfully high with respect to the keybed and hf center. This > wasn't a real antique restoration, so I replaced the soundboard with a > Posey > panel without screwing the board to the ribs. I figured with new adhesives > and not a tropical climate, it would be a shame to drill all those extra > holes in the sb and ribs, and load it down with a bunch of screws. > > Mark > > > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf > Of Brian Trout > Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 2:31 PM > To: pianotech@ptg.org > Subject: Re: Bluthner soundboard > > > Hi Ron, > > Are you sure you saw what you think you saw?? > > I have seen at least one original Bluthner > soundboard with screws down through the > soundboard into each rib. It might give the > appearance of a soundboard installed on top of > the old one. Really, I don't think that the > screws, in and of themselves, would necessarily > be destructive to piano tone. (Ugly, yes...) I > wouldn't like the fact that it would somewhat > weaken the load carrying capacity of the ribs, > though. But many people put a dowel right up > through the center of a load bearing rib, through > the soundboard and into the bridge(s). I don't > like that either, but many people do it. (I > don't.) > > As far as weak tone, it may well need a new > soundboard. I would suspect it would regardless > of the screws. Much could be action related too. > > There are quite a number of factors that might be > there that you also haven't mentioned. You do > say that the action is way out of regulation. Is > this one of the "Bluthner Patent" actions? If it > is, it is radically different than a standard > grand piano action and it would regulate much > differently. It would also play differently. > But as Newton Hunt once told me, DON'T RUIN IT!!! > Yes, they are different, but when they are > rebuilt / refurbished, and PROPERLY regulated, > they have a wonderful touch and feel that you > won't find on modern pianos. It doesn't repeat > as quickly, but it plays so very smooooooooth. > > (I am assuming that this isn't one with the > fourth string on each of the long bridge unisons. > You would no doubt have mentioned it. I haven't > seen one of those yet, but hope to someday.) > > If you hear and learn more about this piano, > please pass it along to the list. I'm sure there > are quite a few who would be interested. > > Best wishes, > > Brian T. > ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/aa/10/5f/5c/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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