[pianotech] Soundboard spring

[Gregor _]

I heard of a similar technique. I will try to explain it for an upright, but I don´t know some of the propper terms because I still did not buy a nomenclature book. Sorry for that.

Imagine the backside of an upright. Behind the soundboard there are these massive wooden balks (Raste in German). Drill a whole in a balk and put in a long screw. The point of the screw should end at that area where the long bridge is, circa in the middle of the soundboard. Now take a coin and tighten the screw so that the coin is clamped between the screw point and the backside of the soundboard. It´s important that the coin is directly behind the bridge. Now tighten the screw so that the soundboard gets liftet a little bit. But be careful not to lift the soundboard away so that the glue joints are destroyed.

In German it´s called Pfennig-Stütze which means coin bearer or coin support. I was told that it might work but one should use it only as the last resort if there is nothing to loose. I never tried it nor do I personally know a colleague who did it. But if you try it I would be glad about a feedback.

Gregor

From: jhjpiano at sbcglobal.net
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2008 09:02:55 -0800
Subject: [pianotech] Soundboard spring










40 years ago my mentor taught me how to install a 
58 Chevy V8 valve spring between the back side of the soundboard and a frame 
crossmember to liven a flat board.  Does any still use this 
technique?  I have a customer with an old Knabe grand that has no 
downbearing in the middle sections of the board and the tone is very thin and 
nasal.  A new soundboard if financially out of the question.  After 
all these years, I don't recall if this technique was effective or 
not.
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