Soundboard Removal

[Joe Garrett]

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Calin said: "In that case, I =3D
would say preserving as much of the original substance as possible is =
=3D
the priority. You don't want to turn it into a modern piano, but make it =
=3D
sound the was it was supposed to in the 1850's."

Calin,
First I would have to take MAJOR exception with your comment, in your =
previous post, that Americans don't have respect for Tradition! Many do =
not, but a large percentage of Technicians, that I've met and talked =
with, DO! I for one have such "Respect". However, in this post you say =
it will sound like it did when it was built, ONLY if you use the =
original sound board. To that I say B.S.!
I just finished a complete Restoration of an 1867 Chickering, 8', flat =
strung Grand. If I had used the original board, it would have sounded =
like crap!!!
Although, I'm sure, that originally the piano sounded as it does now, =
with a new board and judicious scale improvements that HAVE to be done, =
as our current supply of bass string supplies do not allow an "exact" =
replacement. Also, If I'm going to go to all that trouble, why the hell =
would I want to put the "assembly line" screw ups back in the piano? The =
end result, I am sure, for the Chickering is a slightly improved end =
result than the original, but not to the point of destroying the essence =
of what the original intent/sound was.=20
This same thinking is now prevelant regarding the "restoration" of =
Steinways. It's crap and Steinway knows it, but they persist with this: =
"if it doesn't have all original Steinway parts than it isn't a =
Steinway" garbage. I'm old enough to know what a new steinway sounded =
like when it was new, back 4 decades. It sure as hell didn't sound like =
the #%%^^* CRAP that is touted as the "Heritage" line they espouse to!
Too often Technicians think that the original maker knew what he was =
doing and achieved his end goal, on every piano he manufactured! =
Hogwash!
If the board is shot, in terms of the cellular structure of the wood, =
it's SHOT! It needs to be replaced. Whether a tech chooses to do it the =
way the original maker did, OR make the end product capable of lasting =
Longer and sounding Better, than the original, than so be it. I, for =
one, chose to TRY to maintain the original INTENT of the maker, if that =
is possible, but I sure as hell am not going to waste my time =
REPRODUCING mistakes and crap!



Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
Captain, Tool Police
Squares R I
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