David writes: << Do you think that attaching the entire length of the block itself to the stretcher adds any significant resistance to vertical movement? >> Yes, I do. I think there is some acoustical loss in an unattached block, simply because there is vertical movement in it that is not as well resisted by the mass of the case. The difference in stiffness between a block that is doweled in and one that is not is profound. The sound transmission is also noticeably different if you tap the undowelled block then clamp it to the stretcher and tap it again. The plate does add rigidity, but adds little to acoustically connect the pinblock with the case. The difference is that in a dowelled block, a larger complement of vibration passes through the block to the stretcher to the case, to the soundboard ribs to the dowels to the bridge to the string. That signal path is what I consider the "circle of sound". Mass affects the sound, so anything we do to change the mass in the signal path has some effect. In the undowelled block, a larger percentage of the vertical component of the strings' vibration is lost to heat dissipation. Whether it is significant or not is, for obsessive/compulsives like me, a moot point. As tuners, (usually with obtuse obsessions to arcane minutia), "significant" can have a wide range of definition. I am most comfortable with knowing I have done all I can to maintain the structural integrity of a piano, and attaching the block to the stretcher, if designed that way, is, imho, structurally significant. regards, Ed Foote RPT http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html <BR><BR><BR>**************<BR>Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? Read reviews on AOL Autos.<BR> (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 )</HTML>
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