Steinway Bridge Material

[Farrell]

Wow! Really? Ash is a fair bit harder than most mahoganies - is it not? You mention age. When were the two woods used? If maple is supposed to be such great wood for a bridge, why don't they just laminate layers of hard maple? What is the theory behind using mahogany or ash? Or is this simply "how the masters did it" mentality. I realize why hard maple is a desirable wood for a bridge cap (it's hard!), but what characteristics does it have that make it more desirable than other woods for the bridge body (I'm making the assumption here that it is more desireable because one sees it so often).

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Delacour" <JD@Pianomaker.co.uk>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 3:00 AM
Subject: Re: Steinway Bridge Material


> At 9:22 PM -0500 24/2/02, Farrell wrote:
> >Steinway long bridges are made of several laminae of two different 
> >woods. One is light in color and the other darker. I would imagine 
> >the light colored wood is hard maple. What is the darker wood?
> 
> Sometimes mahogany and sometimes ash, depending on the age of the instrument.
> 
> JD
> 
>