Laminated Soundboards

[Richard Brekne]

Ron O.

I really rather have to take issue with much of what you say below. 
There is no one I know, certainly no one on the list,  who has out of 
hand rejected the idea of laminated soundboard. Quite the opposite most 
of us have simply commented on the fact that every available example 
(until recently) of such an instrument has shown less then satisfactory 
results... at least as far as high end instruments are concerned.  
Re-read the discussion of a couple years back, largely prompted by the 
introduction to the American tech scene of your own instrument at Reno. 
A piano which as far as I remember got very good reviews from nearly 
everyone voicing a public opinion on it. That discussion ended with a 
very broad consensus that the concept did indeed warrant further serious 
consideration, and much applause for your own efforts.

No one that I know of would dream of a problem with you <<pushing your 
own barrow>> as it were. The problem  is rather when you move past 
touting your own admirable efforts and into condemning those of others 
who find reason to disagree.  Looking away from what you perhaps meant 
by the last couple paragraphs below, I just need only stick to the 
fellow who wrote the original comment Terry sighed about... How 
unjustified was this guy realllly ??? Eh ??.  How on earth would HE be 
expected to know any better, given the dismal results of previous 
implemntations of laminated soundboards ?

I'd say... all in all.. that the greatest problem facing the development 
of laminated soundboards is not peoples prejudices at all, at least not 
in the sense you refer too... rather the fact that previous 
implementation has scared off so many that you are fighting a very steep 
uphill battle.  Thats enough to make just about anyone prejudice.

Cheers
RicB



Yes David, all but one of our pianos have laminated soundboards. The 
piano at Reno had a laminated panel. Thanks for coming to the 
laminated panel's defence. The idea is being rejected simply on the 
basis of low end trashy pianos using low end trashy non-spruce 
laminated panels. When is some sanity going to come to this matter? I 
believe the concept warrants further serious consideration. But I'll 
no doubt be accused by some of pushing my own barrow.

If one wants to be kept in ignorance, by all means keep listening to 
the uninformed chatter of salespeople, or the chatter of those who 
chose a word/email processor as his/her primary research tool.

The problem of our age is sorting the worthwhile information from the 
oceans of BS and chaff.

Ron O.