<!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 6.00.6000.16481" 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> <DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><STRONG><EM>Ok Guys. </EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><STRONG><EM>    Whistle blowing.  Time out ..alright already.  Old wood, dead wood ....Wood is wood for the most part. (I have a few stray thoughts about this & have my flame suit on)</EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  It is a fact that the longer wood air dries or ages that the harder it gets.  I once bought a pile of Sitka that aged 20 years in a barn in the central Ca valley.  The cabinet shop that re-sawed it said it was so hard it dulled the blade & there were sparks flying off it during the resawing. He ha d never seen anything quite like that.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Yes, I made a few boards out of it ,& they sounded about like many others I have made. Outstanding of course. grin.</EM></STRONG>  <U><STRONG>But the magic wood component, even if true</STRONG></U> <U><EM><STRONG>isn't all there is to making</STRONG></EM></U> <U><EM><STRONG>soundboards successfully</STRONG></EM></U>  <EM><STRONG>& any one following the last ten years of threads on the subject has a clue about this.</STRONG></EM></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>   But the question is, does this antique wood have some kind of sonorous properties that conduct vibration more efficiently or more wonderfully than freshly milled & kilned wood. I for one don't' know with certainty but indeed hold my own opinions.</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  If those re-crowning or making Piano sound boards with wood that has come from a hundred year old flat piano soundboard board ...I see no harm in this unless they are compression crowning. </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>    However If the new old wood boards being made employ modern  rib crowning or rib crowned & supported  techniques with only mild compression, then I would think this will produce a fine result. Hey why not? </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>    But If the wood is being dried down yet again and compression crowned as it was originally then Perhaps this is wishful thinking that there is elasticity enough left to complete the C.C task.  And don't forget the cellular damage already done.  IMO New wood is best suited for compression crowning. </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><EM><STRONG>      It's a fact...Old wood </STRONG><FONT size=4>is</FONT><STRONG> harder.... <FONT size=4>and </FONT><FONT size=2>,...</FONT>it <FONT size=4>is</FONT> less resilient than new wood, but couldn't that cause it to also have a different capacity for tonal resonance especially when coupled with quality made, non compression type crowning methods.?  I suspect it does but in piano making the wood going into the sound board is only one component.  I've heard wonderful sounding pianos with hideous looking wood. I've seen beautiful looking wood & a horrible sound.  So....</STRONG></EM></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>     Is this making any sense?</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Now then... Violins are not compression crowned so perhaps the old wood group are seeking the hardness & stability of old wood. I, like Ron/others would;d very much like to hear from some folks who have made instruments long enough to have experience enough to state a bold yet subjective   opinion about the subjective results from their newly made old wood instruments.  Any body have a source of chat rooms or dialogues among builders for this. Any body know any body doing this?</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  On a sightly different note.  We have posted routinely about the improvement in the sound of an old flat or semi flat board when coated with epoxy coming to life.  I've done it ,. SO what's going on? Epoxy adds stiffness. SO do other things. SO if stiffness  is good then older harder wood seem to possess some properties  that  would seem to have an edge over newer wood. i.e.. Stability & hardness. </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>    How that translates to resonance & tone in different instruments will likely continue to create threads as long as those entitled "using CA glue to remedy loose Tuning pins."</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM></EM></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Kindest regards</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  Dale Erwin</EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><EM>  </EM></STRONG></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>> Antique wood. Yeah, what a hoot. I guess that's why he didn't replace <BR>> the soundboard, yet charged her enough for soundboard replacement. You <BR>> should'a seen the underneath of that soundboard - looked like ground <BR>> zero in southern Manhattan. Cracks, bulges, goo oozing out of cracks, <BR>> holes, etc., etc. Well, whatever....<BR>>  <BR>> Terry Farrell<BR><BR>Soundboards are immortal, everyone knows that, and who's crazy <BR>enough to look underneath anyway?<BR><BR><BR>=====================================<BR>>     And here's something I didn't know -<BR>> <BR>>     * Antique wood carries sound much better, and lasts longer because<BR>>     of the 50-80 year aging process, unavailable today.  The quality of<BR>>     metalwork for steel and copper-wound strings, in contrast, is much<BR>>     better today than it used to be 100 years ago.  That's why restored<BR>>     antique pianos sound so much better than new pianos and last far<BR>>     longer.*<BR>> <BR>>     Bob D.<BR>=======================================<BR><BR>The antique wood thing is precisely what professional piano <BR>people re-ribbing old dead soundboards (and even compression <BR>crowning them again!) have told us right here on this list. As <BR>Jack said, if you can't get the truth about pianos from piano <BR>techs, where can you? Still an open question. Too many <BR>Lockheed engineers in the profession I suspect.<BR><BR>Ron N</FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT lang=0 face="Book Antiqua" size=2 FAMILY="SERIF" PTSIZE="10"><B><I></I>Dale Erwin--Piano Restorations<BR>4721 Parker rd<BR>Modesto, Ca. 95357<BR>Shop 209-577-8397<BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 face="Abadi MT Condensed" color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"></FONT><FONT lang=0 face="Abadi MT Condensed" color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="12">Web site <A href="http://www.erwinspiano.com/">http://www.Erwinspiano.com</A></FONT><FONT lang=0 face="Abadi MT Condensed" color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"> </FONT><FONT lang=0 face="Book Antiqua" color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SERIF" PTSIZE="10"><I><BR>Restoration & Sales of<BR>Steinway & Sons & other fine pianos.<BR>" Soundboards by Design"</I><BR></B></FONT></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Get a sneak peek of the all-new <A title="http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour/?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000982" href="http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour/?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000982" target="_blank">AOL.com</A>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>