Joel, I noticed that one of the grands in my store was developing a pressure ridge (humidity was 65%). I installed a DamppChaser unit and it was gone the next day! Can you tell that I like DamppChasser systems! I especially suggest them to new clients bringing pianos from a more humid climate to Arizona. I find a lot of recently tuned pianos moved here from California a quarter step or more flat. It happens consistently enough that I do not think that the clients are mistaken on when the pianos were last tuned. Humidity was so high because I only have an evaporative cooler in my store. Winter time, spring and fall humidity is usually in the 20 to 40% range. Larry Messerly, RPT Prescott/Phoenix (store is in Prescott) On Mon, 4 Sep 2000 20:28:56 EDT JCSwafford@AOL.COM writes: > Hello List, > > I recently inspected a new Mason & Hamlin Model A for a customer. It > was a > fantastic piano, but I found several ridges in the soundboard. I > could feel > them as I ran my hand across the underside of the soundboard. They > protruded > upwards. > > I mentioned to the customer that in my experience these ridges are > fairly > common in pianos built today with solid spruce boards and was the > subject of > controversy between Steinway and a dealer not long ago. I told her I > wasn't > very knowledgeable about them and they may not even be compression > ridges at > all, but irregularities in the joining of the planks of spruce when > the > soundboard is constructed. I told her she was not likely to have any > problems > from them in the future and I would consult the list to order to > give her a > well rounded opinion about them. > > I explained that compression ridges occur when the board is dried to > much in > the kiln before installation and the installation is to tight to the > rim of > the piano. The ridges occur when EMC is returned to the board not > giving it > enough room to expand without compressing. > > I haven't studied soundboards, their preparation or installation > techniques. > > May be I can get some feedback from some of you knowledgeable > rebuilders or > intellectuals out there. > > Thanks for your help in advance. > > Joel Swafford, RPT > >
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