Greetings, << My student, Paul, just had a rebuilder do the soundboard, plate, pinblock stuff. Paul did the action work and the break happened when he was chipping/tuning it. Either it just happened or the plate was installed incorrectly.>> I would not think it "just happened". It takes a lot of stress to break a plate. >>I just wonder what experiences some of you have had with this. Do S&S B's break plates often? (I've been tuning twenty years and this is a first for me) << Me too, I have never seen a B plate break before. >>Should the rebuilder take responsibility? << Since an improperly fitted pinblock can stress a plate very strongly, I would want an independant autopsy of the fit between the pinblock, front stretcher, and the plate. It is just as important, (maybe more so), that the block fit snugly against the underside of the webbing, lest all those screws flex the plate near enough to its breaking point so that the added strain via the agraffes will finish it off. With the tension off and screws released, it should be possible to make some diagnosis of how well the block and plate were fitted. If the block was dowelled to the stretcher improperly, that will preload the plate also. The rebuilder may have done a very nice job of the fit and if so, should be absolved. Also, there are new factory plates available for the B models, I think. Call them. Regards, Ed Foote RPT. What about the customer? >>
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