Ric writes: << Given the Bosies solution, one would be tempted to consider that rock hard rims are not a neccessity for good tone at all.... >> Greetings, Maybe not neccessary for tone, but I don't think the difference is so much in the tone as the power. Even going over 9 feet doesn't make an Imperial more powerful in the back of the hall than your average, run of the mill, Steinway D. Most all the Bosendorfer pianos I have seen had tone out the whazoo, (for the non-native readers, whazoo is a technical term that means "a lot"), but there was a ceiling to their volume. Players have mentioned that the European pianos like Bosendorfer, Bechstein, and Hamburg Steinways sound beautiful, but when played increasingly harder, reach a point of power saturation, after which nothing else happens. In comparison, the New York D will usually continue to deliver more as long as it is played harder, regardless. I think the maple contributes to this characteristic. The Mason's, Chickerings (some), Baldwins and Steinways, as well as a slew of long-gone American brands, used maple and with good/new boards, most all these pianos will have unsurpassed power in comparison to their lighter wood-rim counterparts. Regards, Ed Foote RPT http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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