dangerous pianos?

[Wimblees@aol.com]

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In a message dated 6/13/03 7:55:35 AM Central Daylight Time, 
pjx2@runpoint.com writes:

> Hello list,
> I just finished looking at an old upright for a friend and decided to try to
> get some answers to this question:  At what point do old pianos become
> dangerous?  I seem to remember hearing that the structure of a piano could
> become compromised to such an extent that it could actually "blow up"  under
> the weight of the string tension.  What can one look for to determine if old
> pianos are structurally sound?  This upright had a huge break in the sound
> board.  The crack extended at a 45 degree angle the entire range of the
> sound board and was over 1/2 inch wide at the most. I am not sure what role
> the sound board plays in the stability of the structure of the piano, but
> would love to hear your ideas.  I appreciate all your wisdom...thanks in
> advance.
> 

First of all, please sign your name, even if it's just your first name, so we 
know how to address you.

To answer your question, a crack in the soundboard is not going to cause a 
piano to "blow up." It's the plate that would need to crack for the piano to 
blow up. And then only if the screws are taken off with the strings still at full 
tension. 

There is, however, the problem of structural integrity. If there are too many 
cracks in the soundboard, if the plate screws are loose, if the bridges are 
cracked, if the case parts are unglued, then you won't have a solid structure 
for the piano to stay in tune. 

Wim 

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