R,C&S question

[Richard Brekne]

List:

You see this (Dale Erwins) kind of example abounds... and far far more 
often then critics of panels that rely on compression for some or all of 
their crown will have it.  You dont need to be a rebuilder with 30 years 
of experience working wood to observe this. In fact you dont need any 
experience in working on pianos at all... just a rudimentary knowledge 
of how soundboards are constructed and a pair of eyes and ears.  A 
reasonable climate provided for any instrument will insure that it has a 
long and good life with more then acceptable tone. I seriously doubt any 
type of board would fair better then the example given below.

Thing is... a Soundboard has to have a certain degree of spring 
upwards... and a string scale a certain amount of push downwards.  No 
matter which way you swish it the panel is going to have to take a big 
amount of this load in terms of compression...which over time will set 
in.   If you submit the thing in the interim to wildly variant climatic 
conditions... it will fail.  I noted that even Terry mentioned this 
exact thing in relation to RC & S boards.

I go back to something I've said many a time.  The controversy element 
here is way over driven... as are the criticisms of the different types 
of boards.  All work well.  The rest of the discussion should be free 
and open and interesting as all get out.  As Dale puts it below... he's 
had fun on his journey making different types of boards... creating 
different types of sounds.  Thats what this should all be about.

Cheers
RicB


    Dale Erwin writes:

    I give this case in point.
     
     I restored a Stwy German C for a composer pianist.   It has lived
    in the
    coastal climates of Calif for 103 years now. It was here  long
    before heating &
    air conditioning.
     
     I was called to restore it.  The piano has  dramatically healthy crown
    measured with a string test even in the  trebles.  Unheard of  by
    me.... No bearing
    in the killer & not  much elswhere. The panel shows about 14 faint 
    dark
    hairline  anomalies.  Nothing open. Nothing looking really crushed.
    Average
    humidity  55 to 65 %.
     
      The complaint is the sound of the piano doesn't go  anywhere.  As
    this
    thread has made clear.... crown with no bearing is like  a car with
    no gas in the
    tank.  It doesn't go anywhere. Short story is  ......The plate was
    lowered,
    the killer bridge cap replaced & made taller.  Cracks in my dry
    climate opened
    only slightly.  Filled with epoxy. New  action/everything &  Voila
    the piano is
    magic again.
       It happens & out here we've seen it sooo many  times. SO with
    moderate
    environments aging decelerates...(just  like humans) & so many
    pianos will
    survive well and make great music.
        
    Don't get me wrong,  I've enjoyed Making a variety of  different
    style sound
    boards & I've learned much here but I don't have any  agenda except
    quality
       I see it this way if the piano sounds good &  is making music &
    we like it
    ....will we like less if we know that it's made  such & so?
       Nahhhhhh!.
      Dale