<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><div>And I was wondering if the cap wood on these things was some REALLY hard, brittle stuff (like locust) that Knabe chose intentionally, that just wouldn't notch well in the normal orientation. So they turned it 90 degrees, without considering the shrinkage, and etc., that would eventually make it crack like crazy. The answer to this is not "Earth-shaking" to me; but yes, it IS odd that such an astute maker, so very familiar with fine woodworking <br />( early on the utter best, in my opinion!) would make a choice that leaves us with such messes?<br /><br />Thumpe</div></td></tr></table> <div id="_origMsg_">
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<span style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span>
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Ron Nossaman <rnossaman@cox.net>; <br>
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<pianotech@ptg.org>; <br>
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Re: [pianotech] GH-1s <br>
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Fri, Dec 21, 2012 1:23:32 PM <br>
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<td valign="top" style="font:inherit;">On 12/21/2012 12:15 AM, Euphonious Thumpe wrote:<BR>> Ron, you are absolutely right about the rib construction (and I'll<BR>> double-check to see that I spoke correctly about ALL of them being<BR>> laminated). But, in my experience, it is only the "American Piano<BR>> Company" era Knabes (post 1908) that did the bad grain angle bridge cap<BR>> thing. (Please do correct me if I'm wrong.)<BR><BR>I have no idea. I'm a mechanic, and never have been a historian. I don't do baseball stats either...<BR><BR><BR>> The bridges on these 1890's<BR>> jobbies are truly a sight to behold ( as was all Knabe woodwork in that<BR>> era) for their meticulous precision of workmanship! Now, I recently had<BR>> a gorgeous-sounding Knabe-Ampico upright player from 1920 that had,<BR>> relatively, much cheaper and poorer construction. But the sound was<BR>> still
largely there (along with the un-fun embedding of the plate into<BR>> the cabinet sides!) so it seems that the company learned where to "cut<BR>> corners" for cost ( not apparently a consideration on the earlier<BR>> production) and yet still keep the sound that faithful buyers expected.<BR><BR>I expect it's like many old companies. The personality of the "old man" had a diminished effect on the product after he passed.<BR>Ron N<BR></td>
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