Lack of low frequency response

[Richard Brekne]

Hi Stéphane

I wish I DID know the answers to my questions.  But sadly... I am quite 
in the dark. I know the usual answers to this quandry go in the 
direction of the SB being in some sense or another too stiff relative to 
the scale/bearing... etc.   But in this case I have at least good enough 
reason to wonder in the opposite direction to querry you all.  The 12 mm 
thingy was just a number thrown out for the sake of discussion... and no 
necessarily any taper...

I'm wondering if a nasal sound... with little or no apparent low end 
response can have to do with LACKof stiffness in the fat part of the 
soundboard... i.e. in that section that is somewhat front of the long 
bridge and bass bridge.... low tenor area. I know this seems to go 
contrary to the usual conclusions we'd jump at.... but it connects with 
aging soundboards and why they start sounding thin and nasal...

Cheers
RicB


    Hi Ric.

    Methinks you know the answers to your question, and simply try to raise
    comments.  Interesting topic, as always.  Not that my contribution here
    could be interesting, but here are the usual things that I believe
    up till
    now would favor deeper bass, given here for same purpose (raise
    comments) :

    - taper the soundboard thickness from 12 (! Wow) mm in treble to 5 mm in
    bass corner.
    - put the bass bridge further away from the rim.
    - allow longer back scale.
    - reduce number and/or thickness of ribs in the bass side.
    - float the soundboard by one or another mean.
    - reduce down bearing on the bass bridge.
    - use heavier hammers in the bass section
    - change the strike point (I found this can do huge changes to both
    sound
    and dynamics, also in the bass section, at the cost maybe of projection)
    - reduce strings tension, at the cost of some volume (not sure about
    this,
    but comments welcome)
    - put the piano on concrete floor instead of wood
    - ... anything else?

    Best regards.

    Stéphane Collin.