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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Hi Avery.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>I do have such a Knabe grand. When it came in, I had a failure
to the humidity control system in my workshop. I first didn’t care, as
all other pianos in the room had new soundboards, and I intended to do major
repair to that Knabe anyway. To my great surprise, the piano which did undergo
humidity levels ranging from 27 % to 68 % (+/- 5%) didn’t suffer at all.
Not a single crack in the soundboard (original and 130 years old) nor in the
pinblock. The only failure on this piano was an agraffee which popped up. Of
course, not the standard size. Any older Bechstein original board would have
deteriorated in such conditions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>That is the opportunity to ask : how is this possible ? I mean,
if the ribbing process was intended for a humid climate, the board assembly
would suffer in the dry period, not ? and other way round. How can a board
withstand the extremes ? Better wood ? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Best regards.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Stéphane Collin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal>I have a customer who's still in that position who owns a
late 1800's Knabe grand. Around 1890, I think. My question is that because
of its age, is this instrument more likely than newer types
to develop any damage/problems in the future from not being
in air-conditioning for that long? It's been restrung somewhere along the
way but beside minor repairs, I believe that is all that's ever been done to
it, except tuning. The weather hasn't been TOO bad but the temperature <em>has</em> gotten into
the low to mid 90's and humidity into the 70%+ range during the day. I'm
concerned primarily about any possible structural problems with an instrument
this old. <o:p></o:p></p>
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