<!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 5.50.4134.600" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=Erwinspiano@AOL.COM href="mailto:Erwinspiano@AOL.COM">Erwinspiano@AOL.COM</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> January 06, 2002 3:24 = PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Stein grand unique = board</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2>In a = message dated 1/4/2002 1:54:17 PM Pacific Standard Time, <A href="mailto:JIMRPT@AOL.COM">JIMRPT@AOL.COM</A> writes: <BR><BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE">Subj:<B>Re: Stein grand unique board</B> = <BR>Date:1/4/2002 1:54:17 PM Pacific Standard Time <BR>From:    <A href="mailto:JIMRPT@AOL.COM">JIMRPT@AOL.COM</A> <BR>Sender:    <A href="mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org">owner-pianotech@ptg.org</A> <BR>Reply-to: <A = href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> <BR>To:    <A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> <BR><BR>   Hi Jim ,Phil and list</FONT><FONT lang=0 = face=Arial color=#000000 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><BR>       <BR>      I would have jumped in sooner = but have been gone. I was hoping this would generate this kind of discussion <BR>      I have no argument with the = the physical law stated below but let me suggest for the sake of = discussion that the primary energy source being considered in the pond analogy, the = pebble tossed in, is the initiator of the waves action. The primal energy = source. In the soundboard system the traveling wave set into motion by the hammer = is the primal energy source and as long as the string vibrates the waves = continue to radiate out from the primary energy source and dissipate into whatever = by absorbtion,friction,heat or moving air. <HR> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" = color=#000080></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080>I'll point out once = again that the pond analogy is not a very good one. These are surface waves while the = motion of the soundboard--at least the motion that is creating sound energy is = quite different. The system is vibrating as a unified whole.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV></FONT></FONT><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 = face=Arial color=#000000 FAMILY="SANSSERIF">  Perhaps Phil Ford and =  Charles Fredrick Stein  has a valid point that we should = consider the reflective wave as of lesser importance, though not unimportant, = when designing a soundboard system, apparently Charles did. </FONT></FONT><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 = face=Arial color=#000000 = FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR>      As Del has said the soundboard system functions as system and what we = seem to be doing here is  consider the various individual component aspects = as to there contribution to sound production as a system. Seems to me like a = healthy thing for a think tank to do. </FONT></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial = color=#000000 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080>As long = as there is any vibrations felt in the rim there are associated energy losses from = the soundboard. Whether you view this as energy not reflected back into the soundboard or as energy losses from the soundboard to a less than = perfectly massive and rigid rim is irrelevent--it is still reducing the sustain = time of the system</FONT>. </FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial = color=#000000 FAMILY="SANSSERIF">   Another thought that occurs to = me is, that however the listener would describe the overall sound of the = Stein system, that sound will have to be partially  ascribed to the = lack of reflected energy from the rim on the straight side and curved side of = the rim even though we can't dissect or isolate it. Alas another mystery. </FONT></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>How would you describe the function of those = relatively thick ribs that--unless I completely mis-read your discription of = them--remain solidly glued to the inner rim?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial = color=#000000 FAMILY="SANSSERIF">      </FONT><FONT = lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"> Also perhaps = the fact that all the end grain of the soundboard panel is terminated at the belly = rail, which as Del pointed out, adds all the stiffness the trebles require = to function. Afterall sound travels along the grain faster than across. = My deduction from all this is that the tail end of the piano is not as drastically compromised by having a pseudo free floating edge around = the majority of its perimeter. </FONT></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>And I would suggest that this is not even = close to being a pseudo free-floating soundboard system. Free-floating means free-floating as in not attached to the rim in any way. And those ribs = being glued to the inner rim are not at all free-floating. Nor is the = soundboard system as long as <FONT color=#000080></FONT>the soundboard panel = remains glued to those ribs. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>Del</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial = color=#000000 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080></FONT> </DIV></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>