This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Erwinspiano@aol.com=20 To: pianotech@ptg.org=20 Sent: January 03, 2003 3:55 PM Subject: Restored Baldwin out the door List Tomorrow I'm delivering a 1920 pre-model R Baldwin. It's 5 = ft. 8 " I just thought some would enjoy a thought or two on this. This = is the first Baldwin I've had the opportunity to do a complete = restoration on including new belly and all. Although I'm not a big = Baldwin fan I am very pleased with the way this piano came out. Tonally = it's very strong, and dark sounding with excellent sustain = characteristics. Very even scale note to note& no weak spots or notes. = This board had/has eleven ribs compared to a modern Rs 10 heavier built = ribs. The original ribbing was really to light especially in the bottom = end. Like 15/16 mm deep on the first 3 or ribs. I beefed them up. I use = tight sugar pine thru out on a Sitka panel. I was shocked to think that Baldwin Designers had any idea that ribs = that thin would retain any kind of real crown for more than two weeks.=20 Why should you be so shocked? In a compression-crowned soundboard = assembly the ribs actually resist the formation of crown and of = necessity must be flexible enough to bend as the board expands. The ribs = on compression-crowned soundboards are almost always wider than they are = tall -- though this is some shallow even for an early c-c board.=20 I'm guessing that they were trying to reduce the stiffness of the = soundboard assembly to give it somewhat better mobility in response to = the larger movement required to develop good articulation in the bass.=20 To determine whether or not it worked as designed you would have to go = back to the original specification and try it. Which, with a Baldwin = Model L, I was nearly able to do. We were looking into redesigning the = current (as of the late 1980s) Model L and I was able to locate the = original design specifications for what was then known as the Model C. = Your mention of the shallow ribs reminds me of those specified for that = piano. We built up a piano as close to the original as possible and = found it to be a truly wonderful sounding instrument. The sound at = pianissimo was incredibly lush and warm and yet was exceptionally = dynamic with an adequately bright and powerful forte. At least for the = size room in which it would have typically been used. It was a superb = chamber piano. But it was not LOUD enough. POWERFUL enough. LOUD enough. = BRILLIANT enough. LOUD enough. BIG enough. LOUD enough. BRIGHT enough. = Or LOUD enough. It was not what the management of the day wanted to = emulate the onslaught of Asian pianos with their much harder, linear and = LOUD sound. So, of course, rather than be different and walk the road = less traveled, the piano was scrapped. Ah, well.... Del ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/f6/2d/97/30/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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