Bass Bridge Position

[Ron Nossaman]

> When relocating the bass bridge on a grand, let's say 6' in length,
> lengthening the backscale by moving the bridge in toward the long bridge can
> reap some benefits.  However, is there and optimum distance that the bass
> bridge should be from the long bridge where a certain degree of separation
> might also be a benefit?  

I'm sure there is, but it'll be different on every piano. 
Generally, the farther you can keep the low bass from the low 
tenor, the less affect one will have on the other. Further 
separating the bass from the tenor is one of the major 
benefits of the transition bridge, as well as improving string 
scaling. Floating the bass adds a separation in stiffness 
between the two, for better control.


>When forced to compromise, which one trumps the
> other and what, if any, might be the negative effects of having the bass
> bridge too close to the long bridge?  (In this case I'm talking about a
> piano without a bass float.)  

Too short a back scale chokes the bass, as does too close 
proximity to the low tenor, so without a transition or bass 
float on the original soundboard (?), I think I'd just split 
the difference and take what I got. I also think I'd thin, or 
channel the perimeter, of the bass. I sure don't have numbers, 
but the potential effect of improvements is limited to the 
improvements done.

Ron N