[pianotech] Belly talk

[Terry Farrell]

My guess is that it doesn't make any difference one way or another. Maybe a good way to decide would be to build your soundboard and lay it in there on the rim - see how it mates to the rim. If the rim crown is pushing up the ends and you have to sit on the darn thing to bring it down to the rim, you might want to consider removing the crown. If, on the other hand, the original crown on the rim enhances good mating of the soundboard to the rim, for sure leave it.

Have you built the soundboard yet and checked how well it mates to the rim? Ya might want to do that first before you start cutting on the rim.

Terry Farrell

On Nov 30, 2012, at 2:00 PM, Jim Ialeggio wrote:

> David,
> 
> No we're not talking about the same thing.
> 
> Remove(hypothetically) the outer rim in an inner rim with applied outer rim piano. The inner rim is constructed first, with the soundboard and plate all set before the outer rim is applied. In this scenario, the top surface which mates to the soundboard, in addition to some small amount of bevel as you noted, in some pianos (like current M&H),  is contoured in a significantly out of plane condition...purposely.   Viewed from the front of the bellyrail, there is a crown, meaning the bellyrail bows upwards forming a crown. In this small piano there is a full 11mm difference between the height of the bellyrail at the center and the height at the ends.
> 
> The same with the curved side and on this one, the back of the long side as well. If you could see through the outer rim to the top surface of the inner rim, these portions also are somewhat serpentine. They, are not in a flat plane, helping to create what has been referred to as the" the most important crown in the piano", ie the "crown along the length of the long bridge.
> 
> I don't agree with this obviously shaping, but that's the condition I'm referring to.
> 
> Jim Ialeggio
> 
> -- 
> Jim Ialeggio	
> jim at grandpianosolutions.com
> 978 425-9026
> Shirley Center, MA
>