Soundboard Springs. Long.

[Newton Hunt]

Dear Del and List,

Sometimes we have to step outside of the envelope to get some fresh air and new
ideas.  When something is removable, reversible or non destructive and gives some
life to a dead beast what is the problem?

I know of a ten year old Knabe in a sanctuary with a bridge that is below the string
line and is canted toward the keys.  As I see it there are two choices, replace the
board or jack it up with springs.  Replacing the board is not an option for the
church.  Springs may, or may not, reduce the ugly sounds coming from a bridge that
pulls the strings down to it's level.  

Warranty issues are more dead than the tone.

If there is another option I would love to know about it.

		Newton

Delwin D Fandrich wrote:
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <Yardarm103669107@AOL.COM>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: April 24, 2001 2:28 PM
> Subject: Re: Soundboard Springs. Long.
> 
> > In a message dated 4/24/2001 12:57:25 AM Central Daylight Time,
> > pianobuilders@olynet.com writes:
> >
> > << Experimental work with the idea was just
> >  getting nicely started when the traditionalists and experts managed to
> put a
> >  stop to it >>
> >
> > Pray tell, are there details? This is too juicy to let go by, Del. Tell
> the
> > story.
> > PR-J
> 
> Nothing all that unusual, really. Just the normal barrage of criticism
> directed by Those Who Know toward Those Who Are Learning. Folks were
> actually fooling around with the original design of the piano by putting
> those springs back there. Never mind that the pianos were generally crap by
> that time anyway. One man (a PTG member) threatened to try to get the people
> working with these ideas thrown out of PTG. (Didn't work with me since I had
> not yet joined -- he then threatened to try to keep me out forever.) Didn't
> work and I don't know if he ever followed through on any of his fire
> breathing. I remember several early experimenters who were pretty much
> shunned by some of their older peers over stuff like this. After a while you
> just give up on things.
> 
> For some reason, there has long been a reluctance in this industry to try
> new things. It's like the instrument is sacred and mere mortals shouldn't
> fuss with it. Funny how those things sometimes seem to come full circle,
> though. Maybe its just that my skin is getting thicker with age and
> experience.
> 
> Ah, well...
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Del