<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2963" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV>Hello JD and list,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>One of the advantages or spin-offs of the 'floating soundboard' is the rock like stability of tuning.  I look after a couple of Stuarts and the tuning stability is to die for.  Even after the flight from Australia, 3 days at the airport and the road journey to its destination, the concert grand tuning was solid and at pitch.  I literally could not even find a unison to tidy up.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>But why do you need downbearing when, with agraffes, you can have a thinner soundboard with ribs which only act to disperse vibrations.  If you think about it, the traditional crowned soundboard construction is the eventual kiss of death to the piano.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>ric</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>