jim ialeggio wrote: > It would be interesting to go to the local lumberyard, pick out a 2x12 > spruce/pine/fir plank with straight grain and pith running through the > center of the board, 10-12 growth rings lines per inchish (easily > achievable in 2nd growth stock), rip the quarter sawn segments away from > the pith, dry the sucker and make a soundboard...kind of like the sacred > Koto my brother and I made in our wasted youth...out of cdx plywood. > > Jim Years ago, I watched a PBS segment on a harpsichord builder who said very much what Frank just did about the wood quality used. The interviewer had made some comment on the mystical properties of perfect quality magic tone wood and how such stuff was, tragically, no longer available in the modern world. The builder said it was just the opposite, that you'd be hard pressed to find as low a grade of wood as the early builders used because no instrument maker today would buy the stuff. It would be interesting to build a "Rounds and Porter" soundboard, but it would be tough to sell. No matter how good it sounded with the lid closed, as soon as it was known what the soundboard was made of, tone quality would drop to below marketability (if that's possible). Perception is 9/10 of the flaw. Ron N
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