No downbearing ? REVISITED

[David Skolnik]

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
RicB -

Your observations are often insightful, so I'll take a moment to try to 
draw you back to what I think is the issue

At 08:08 PM 2/1/2004 +0100, you wrote:
>My own degree of understanding of these matters still remains at a rather 
>young stage, yet one theme comes back again and again in these 
>discussions. That is that the sound that the panel is able to project is 
>dependent upon its stiffness and mass.  Certainly any particular 
>combination of these is in itself independent of string coupling. John 
>Hartman is correct in saying that down bearing can increase the stiffness 
>of the panel without added to the panels mass... tho the strings have mass 
>to... and these  things have a habit of working both ways in some sense or 
>another... Still essentially John is correct.

That downbearing increases functional stiffness and thus, impedance is not 
being questioned, by me, at least, at this point, so I'm not sure I 
understand what John is correct about. On the other hand, Phillip Ford, in 
his post just now IS questioning it, so go figure. The question I'm trying 
to address in this particular thread is whether downbearing plays more of a 
role in string / bridge coupling and vibrational energy delivery than is 
being acknowledged in the original question by Jean-Jacques Granas and in 
the response by John Hartman.  In its simplest form, I am challenging the 
implied conclusion that zero or negative downbearing is an acceptable, or 
desirable condition.

Further, the only other questions relevant to this particular thread would 
address the ability to and method of accurately and consistently measuring 
the downbearing angles as they exist on the strung piano, not issues of 
killer octave problems, panel stiffness, crowning method, etc. I had added 
the disclaimer about not being a rebuilder because I'm not attempting to 
discuss whether some certain amount of measured angle is too little or too 
much.

Are there any builders or rebuilders out there who would, with no 
hesitation, put out a product which had zero or negative downbearing?

David Skolnik


---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/a7/71/ce/1e/attachment.htm

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--