Soundboard Thoughts of Marilyn Monroe

[David ilvedson]

> From:          Stephen Birkett <birketts@wright.aps.uoguelph.ca>
> Subject:       Re: Re[4]: Soundboard Thoughts of Marilyn Monroe
> To:            pianotech@ptg.org
> Date:          Thu, 11 Dec 1997 12:44:31 -0500 (EST)
> Reply-to:      pianotech@ptg.org

I was under the impression that because we have fewer big trees 
for soundboards that boards required more small panels when 
glueing up.  In the past fewer panels were required as the trees 
were bigger...?Doesn't this make difference?  More glue joints?

David ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA


> I'm going to put in a dissenting voice of early pragmatism. Can't say I 
> would fancy pressure treated or microwaved wood, and I'm not a lover of 
> kiln-drying either (but mainly because it is done to make money rather 
> than correctly), but there is plenty of air-dried lumber about, even 
> if it isn't "old-growth" or floated in the mill pond. If you know what 
> you are doing (and the old guys certainly did), the sb material itself is 
> probably at the bottom of the list of design parameters. You can pretty 
> much make a board out of anything (and the old guys did). You just have 
> to make appropriate changes to design parameters like thicknesses, ribs 
> etc....to compensate. There is a lot of malarcy about on this notion that 
> old-growth wood is better...maybe so, but, for soundboards, it needn't make 
> two-hoots of a difference. No one please keep the romantic notion that 
> the old guys ever really cared about this stuff...they just wanted to get 
> the job done and would use whatever was to hand.
> 
> Stephen
> 
> Stephen Birkett Fortepianos
> Authentic Reproductions of 18th and 19th Century Pianos
> 464 Winchester Drive
> Waterloo, Ontario
> Canada N2T 1K5
> tel: 519-885-2228
> email: birketts@wright.aps.uoguelph.ca
> 
>