Loose Plate bolts = ?

[Ron Nossaman]

At 10:02 PM 8/30/98 -0600, you wrote:
>Hi There!
>
>Well, try this. Pick a grand piano that doesn't have the Baldwin or Yamaha
>suspended plate system. Make sure it is one with a full properly installed
>DamppChaser system. Tune it. NOW tighten the plate bolts and check the
>pitch and tuning. If the tuning changes then the bolts were loose. If it
>doesn't then they were already tight enough. I suppose you could try
>loosening them too--but I don't think that is a great idea!
>
>Regards,
>Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.M.T., R.P.T.

Well, yea, but that isn't what I meant. I'm questioning the premise that a
piano with a conventionally bedded plate and "loose" plate bolts is
inherently less stable, regarding tuning, than the same piano with tight
bolts. I haven't seen anything that I could call evidence supporting the
claim that periodically tightening plate bolts helps seasonal tuning
stability. I see it as more of a "Here's something that seems wrong, that I
can change, so it must be helping," kind of a thing. The indications I have
found are that the humidity swings and soundboard design and condition are
the major factors in tuning stability.

       
 Ron