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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=rbrekne@broadpark.no =
href="mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no">Richard
Brekne</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> June 08, 2001 1:00 =
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: soundboards =
improving with
age? or what else?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<P>And yet, I, with my ears, state that a newly built Steinway (to =
name an
<BR>instrument) sounds better than an old one. <BR>So now, my question =
remains
:
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE="CITE">
<P>WHY?
<HR>
</P></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><FONT color=#800080 size=2></FONT><BR>Perhaps the answer to =
your question
is simply.... "because you <I>want</I> it to sound better" =
Perhaps its
something more tangeable. Maybe there is some aura left from the =
living
tree...grin... or perhaps Del and his camp are right... in which case =
there is
something wrong with your ears... hehe.
<P>All I know... is what I said at the outset... we dont have the =
answer to
that question yet. Tho undoubtably there are those who are convinced =
we do...
all over the place. </P></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P dir=ltr><FONT color=#800080>Now why would you say this, Richard? =
This is
precisely what I have been saying happens right along. The effect Andre =
is
referring to is predictable, understandable, and explainable. =
</FONT>
<P dir=ltr><FONT color=#800080>Of course Andre is hearing what he is =
hearing.
And he is hearing it accurately. Steinway soundboards are =
compression-crowned
boards. Over time, with the soundboard loaded, the soundboard panel is
undergoing fairly continuous changes. It is under compression =
across-grain,
remember? The wood fibers are taking on compression-set and the =
expansion force
that formed and maintained the boards initial crown is dissipating. The =
board is
collapsing. In the process it is losing some of its stiffness. As this =
happens
the piano's sustain time is decreasing and the tone quality is becoming =
more
percussive. That is what happens as a soundboard loses its crown.</FONT>
<P dir=ltr><FONT color=#800080>Regards,</FONT>
<P dir=ltr><FONT color=#800080>Del</FONT></P></BODY></HTML>