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<DIV> RIc wrote</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>My
simple point boils down to different strokes for different folks. <BR>Until
someone can show a "quantitative analysis of soundboard <BR>performance as it
relates to perceived tone" as you put it.. or even <BR>something remotely akin
to that..<STRONG> then no one has any business waving <BR>around their beliefs
as facts.</STRONG></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV> <STRONG><EM>RIc</EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM> I completly agree about different strokes for
different folks. If it sounds good, enjoy it. If it's a grand
sounding CC board that will go flat in 15 years but sounds great,..... enjoy it
till then. Is it the best design for longevity?.. Obviously...well not in my
opinion.. No. Does it sound glorious for a season? Yeah baby!
</EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM> My point will be that
many pianos sound really quite superior to many other pianos I
see. The question I always ask is.... why? The answer
must be as usual. It's many things. But what<FONT size=4>
<U>I</U></FONT></EM><U> </U><EM>have learned is, that it is design.
IS it scientific? ...NO. Is it subjective?...Sure ...SO WHAT! It's
experience as well</EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM> I do know the sound of my own boards & it is a
repeatable phenomenon. WHy? Design</EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM> I don't know if it has to come down to any form of
belief but <FONT size=3>you & I both heard</FONT> some amazingly different
sounding pianos in Rochester & it was prounounced ALL GOOD.
Right? I heard in fact no negatives. It was design...right down to Chris
Robinsons C.C. board which sounded amazing.</EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM> I Look it is a fact that as technicians we have big ears
that keep growing. I think the ears of the technical community & musicians
who hear well are all the Scientific/ subjective indicators I personally need to
confirm the methods I may use to build a board.</EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM> Yes I heard David Loves pianos as well. His M is
by far a remarkable sounding instrument. It touts all the best tonal
features of the original Steinway scale. It was by far one of the clearest
most powerful & musical M's I have encountered. The treble with
no weaks spots floats on a sea of sustain. & the bass was huge.
Being that I haven't heard other Ms do this in 35 years I can only draw
one conclusion. It's the design. </EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM> His A also similarly had a treble very much like the
Overs quality of sound also floating on a sea of sustain. Rarely have I
heard sustain this strong in the trebles in C.C. boards & but certainly
not the clarity and focus this one had. Again it has to be design.
</EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM> My friend,...I don't get it...... why is it that
this seems so difficult for you to accept or at least acknowledge?
</EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM> I have said many times I will build a board for someone
any way they want it with the proper caveats about the plusses & minus
points of the design.</EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM> Also one thing to consider when you hear manufacturers
speak is, that they are also looking for techniques that are less time
consuming. I assure you the type of rib design,fish,transition bridge,sweeping
cut-offs,beams, fanned rib scales etc. all take waaayy more time and money
to accomplish and from a corporate point of view are detractors from the bottom
line. Honestly, if I were a corporation I probably wouldn't care if the design
of my soundboard's went much beyond 40 years as long as it sounded great for
most of that time.</EM> <U>It's called planned
obsolescence</U></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM> You have added well to the discussion & I agree
with you. It's been a good one.</EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM> Merry Christmas</EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM> Dale Erwin</EM></STRONG></DIV>
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