Loose Plate bolts = ? once more

[MMiccio@aol.com]

>>In the twenty - plus years I've been in this business, I haven't ONCE made a
definite correlation between tuning instability and loose plate bolts, let
alone strings needing tapped down on bridges (but we can save that one for
round two). <<
   Ron I agree with you.  I believe the value in having snug plate screws is
that there is less lost energy in the system caused by a plate that is allowed
to vibrate a little more because it is floating a little. This lost energy
steals some of the strings ability to transfer its energy to the soundboard.
When I first started working for a major piano mfgr's C&A department, the
company's own technician showed me this by loosening two plate screws on a
concert grand around octave 6.  The sound did diminish ever so slightly.

Regards to all,

Mike Miccio