Hi I have a couple questions about older pianos vs new. In many (grands) pianos of the 1800's you see the bent side of the soundboard left unglued. Often enough half of the tail section is also unglued and the other half floating... with or without an additional mass added at that point. My questions... first : What difference would gluing the these sections make to the <<vibrational-ability>> of the soundboard assuming the mouldings that are nailed down hold it just as strongly coupled (at least vertically) to the rim ? Presumably the unglued idea was to allow the panel to expand sideways with climate changes .... perhaps this was an idea to increase tuning stability ???? Second.. this mass addition at the tail. I've seen various modern schemes pictured on the list lately... veneers to add stiffness at the tail... etc. What is the perceived advantage of taking half the tail section and floating it with an extra thick piece of wood glued to the both sides of the panel. ? (I've only seen this done on the tail half adjacent the bent side corner) Any thoughts on the matter are very much appreciated. Cheers RicB
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