<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>My dreams of laminated soundboard bliss have = been shattered.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Fun reading for those inclined:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>(from a newpaper article I found on the web) = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial><A href="http://www.calgarysun.com/cgi-bin/niveau2.cgi?s=generic&p== 9666.html&a=1">http://www.calgarysun.com/cgi-bin/niveau2.cgi?s=ge= neric&p=9666.html&a=1</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial = size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><EM>"The three most important things in a piano are its 'action' = (hammers), strings and soundboard," says Besse. </EM> <P><EM>Sound quality is paramount. To produce a rich sound, it needs a = solid soundboard. </EM> <P><EM>Besse compares soundboards to crystal: </EM> <P><EM>"Take two crystal glasses. You flick the first glass with your = finger and it 'binggggs' forever, that's what I would refer to as a solid, wooden soundboard. Then you take the other glass, and it looks pretty, but when = you flick it it goes 'plunk' and there is no ring ... that<BR>is like a = laminated soundboard."</EM></P> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Arrrrrggggggggggg.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Arial>Terry Farrell</FONT></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>