<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: soundboards</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <BLOCKQUOTE> Ask Dave Andersen about new versus old. He didn't know if new could = match or equal a really fine old board that had retained many of it's magic = properties. And now.................... </BLOCKQUOTE> And now I found somebody relatively close to me and great & easy to wor= k with who showed me that a new board done by a wizard could sing and be mys= terious and have a lot of color---just like an old board. And I’m about the harshest critic I know, brother.  Frankly, I r= eally don’t like the sound of most new boards I’ve heard that ha= ve been installed in private shops---in fact, I hadn’t heard any </= B>I liked until the last 3 years. Here’s the rundown: <OL><LI>a= t Faust Harrison Pianos in NYC; whoever their board guy is, or was---I heard= he left there---is a stone monster; his boards really speak. <LI>in De= l Fandrich’s shop in Washington, although I couldn’t give the th= ing a real test drive; the piano wasn’t quite finished yet, and <LI>in Mo= desto, California, on a D and a B that Ol’ Mr. Erwin produced.  A= nd, then, having listened, been transported, and drunk the Kool-Aid, so to s= peak, I decided have him put a board in a piano for one of my clients---a 19= 02 short A---and it was glorious. Now---I’ve heard that Chris R= obinson’s boards sing, and I’m certain there’s other guys = around someplace----which I’m really happy about. But soundboard wi= zards seem to be rare as hen’s teeth. </OL> So---I still LOVE old Steinway and Mason & Hamlin boards that have r= etained their crown, their integrity; if you come to Sacramento in February,= you can see one or two of our (me and Steve Bellieu) vintage board pianos r= ight up next to one or two of Dale’s new board pianos; ours have high-= compression hammers; his have low-compression hammers; you can A/B ‘em= to your heart’s content. I’ll be pissed if I don’t see a = certain percentage of you geezers there.....(apologies to the forever-young = women and the mercifully temporarily young fools....)   ;--) With love, respect, and best wishes to all.... David Andersen </BODY> </HTML>