M@H 'A' board

[Ron Nossaman]

>"So I guess I could always just get a duplicated pre-crowned board from 
>Bolduc..."
>
>I have always wondered about a practice of "duplicating" a board. You can 
>cut it out to the same size, you can make the ribs the same size and put 
>them in the same positions. But how on earth are you going to duplicate 
>the crown at each rib? This is critical! What was the crown originally? 
>What method was used to attain that crown - dish pressed or not, flat ribs 
>or machined ribs (and to what radii), dry board down to what moisture 
>content to rely on how much compression crown? I should think that unless 
>you know these things you will never "duplicate" a board. You will always 
>be creating an original board - even if it looks a lot like the old board.
>
>This is nearly the same as saying that two people the same height, weight, 
>number and location of arms, legs, ears, nose, etc. are duplicates of one 
>another. Obviously, not even close.
>
>Terry Farrell


True, but then the average Xerox doesn't look much like the original in the 
details either, just in it's basic form. At lease as much to the point, as 
I see it, is whether or not you want the "same" board you took out if 
someone could faithfully reproduce all the (largely unknown) details. 
Putting in a soundboard is like buying a new piano still in the crate. You 
don't get to hear it until it's yours, so it would be nice to have some 
idea what you're getting. Putting the assembly together yourself, at least 
you know what brand of piano you're buying.

I know a lot of folks have installed pre-assembled soundboards to their 
satisfaction, but my thinking is that if I did that and didn't think the 
results were as good as I thought they should have been, I wouldn't have 
learned anything in the process by which to improve the next one.

Another perspective.

Ron N