Killer Octave Question

[Greg Newell]

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John,
         I just read through your web site. While I found it to be a very 
well thought out and beautifully implemented site I think you might be 
surprised at a number of mis-spellings and sentence structure 
problems.  While the incidents aren't exactly rampant throughout they are 
noticeable in spots. I bring this up only that it may help in putting your 
best foot forward for the customer who is lucky enough to see it.

Respectfully,
Greg Newell





At 07:58 PM 4/9/2003, you wrote:



>Terry,
>
>It's not just a killer octave, it starts in the bass side of the first 
>capo area and extends into the tenor area and up towards the treble. It 
>some cases its the whole middle of the pianos that is killed. As pianos 
>age the soundboard no longer supports the full amount of bearing. This 
>will happen to any piano no mater how it is made. Some techniques and 
>designs accelerate the process and some designs delay it. Even the very 
>best designed and crafted piano will eventually fall victim to the 
>disease. Poor craftsmanship will certainly contribute to this problem and 
>many pianos leave the hands of rebuilders and manufacturers with dead 
>soundboards.  I have visited shops were no control of relative humidity 
>prior to ribbing assures that the soundbaord will have practically no 
>crown at all.  The hapless craftsmen at these shops seem completely un 
>bothered by this result but a soundboard without adequate crown is doomed 
>to tonal mediocrity.
>
>It is notable that this problem happens on virtually all modern pianos. 
>This indicates that the problem is not caused by scale designs or ribbing 
>patterns or many of the other possible causes but is inherent to all 
>pianos that use string bearing to raise the impedance of the soundboard.
>
>Why does it start and spread from the low treble?  This area of the scale, 
>in my experience, relies on  bearing pressure to create a round tone more 
>so then other areas of the scale. It is also an area that receives more 
>pressure from the bearing than lower down in the bass. I got into this in 
>more detail in my downbearing articles published in the fall of 95.  Some 
>people expressed surprise at the high numbers I calculated (in the 
>article) for the bearing force on a new soundboard. Even after seven years 
>I am still convince of the need to apply adequate bearing in this area of 
>the scale. Obviously precaution need to be made to assure a reasonable 
>life span for the soundboard. This is were craftsmanship plays a major 
>role; making sure the panel is strong with good glue joints, seasoning and 
>selecting spruce for the panel as well as dimensioning the ribs and 
>profiling them with adequate crown. And, of coarse, making sure that the 
>soundboard has true crown both along the ribs and along the bridge.
>
>John Hartman RPT
>
>John Hartman Pianos
[link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]
>Rebuilding Steinway and Mason & Hamlin
>Grand Pianos Since 1979
>
>Piano Technicians Journal
>Journal Illustrator/Contributing Editor
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>

Greg Newell
mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net 

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