[pianotech] Board: trash or keep protocol

[Ron Nossaman]

David Andersen wrote:
> 1. Pluck strings in all sections of the piano; listen to bloom and 
> sustain appropriate to each section. If it sounds good---if there's a 
> definite increase in sound pressure and amplitude, a "bloom," within a 
> second or so of the pluck in the tenor and treble (it takes longer after 
> the pluck for the bloom to appear lower down in the piano) and then 
> almost a coupling or strengthening of the fundamental tone and the first 
> two partials as the tone decays---it is good. If not, and if there's any 
> question or less than strong feeling, we replace the board.
> 2. Measure bearing across bridges (if necessary.)
> 3. Determine crown through the various methods talked about here ad 
> infinitum (if necessary.)
> 
> The ears (and the bod they're attached to) are the first and the final 
> arbiters of everything to do with pianos.
> DA

Disagree big time. Both crown and bearing will tell you 
something about whether what you are hearing today is likely 
to still be there tomorrow, or next year, so that's first. 
Second is the sound, and that needs to be assessed at high 
attack levels as well as plucking and blooming, particularly 
in the killer octave. Listen for the Bwwaaarrgggghhhhh attack 
distortion, and know that it will only get worse. Putting a 
rebuild on top of a wonderful sounding (at pluck volume 
levels) board that is on the ragged edge of crapping out 
structurally isn't something you want to figure out after the 
fact when you get *the call* next year. If it passes the 
structure test, *then* if it passes the sound test, *then* 
it's a go for keeping the board.

Ron N