<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <html><head><style type="text/css"></style><title>Re: Killer Octave Question</title></head><body> <div>Ron N. and all,</div> <div><br></div> <blockquote type="cite" cite> <blockquote type="cite" cite>Yes indeed. Now this leads me to wonder just how much longer we might expect a sound board with a properly laminated panel to last?</blockquote> </blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite><br> Hi Ron,<br> Wouldn't the question more fundamentally be how much longer will the panel last if we design it to be rib supported rather than panel supported?<br> </blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite>Ron N</blockquote> <div><br></div> <div>I am assuming that a serious sound board will be rib crowned, but a laminated all spruce panel with rib crowning must surely be an excellent combination.</div> <div><br></div> <div>I am assuming that any piano maker worth his/her salt will be using the RC process for crown. I cannot understand how anyone who claims to be serious about piano manufacture would use compression crowning. The reality is, of course, that those who persist in using it are focused on the marketing and not the product. Its a lot quicker to make sound boards with straight planed ribs, while drying the hell out of the panel to achieve a crown which hopefully lasts long enough for the castors to come to rest on the lounge-room carpet. Recently, Del and Terry were discussing a certain manufacturer who claimed to have achieved perfection by 1930. An Erard representative made a similar claim at an 1880s trade fair<font color="#0000FF"> (it is mentioned in<i> Men Women and Pianos</i> - but I haven't been able to find the reference - should anyone know the page no. of this quote I would be interested to hear)</font>. And where can the famous Erard be found today outside of Museums?</div> <div><br></div> <div>The logical conclusion we can draw is that claiming perfection is an admission of 'pending corporate death'. Certainly one swallow doesn't make it summer, but here we have two swallows. There's always some-one waiting in the wings to carry the banner forward.</div> <div><br></div> <div>Regarding the fit-up of flat bridges to crowned sound boards, as I think one other technician mentioned on the list, we are talking strictly about the fit-up of a logarithmic style long bridges. Hockey stick long bridges truly are 'dust bin' technology.</div> <div><br></div> <div>Ron O.</div> <x-sigsep><pre>-- </pre></x-sigsep> <div>_______________________<br> <br> OVERS PIANOS - SYDNEY<br> Grand Piano Manufacturers</div> <div><br></div> <div>Web: http://overspianos.com.au</div> <div>mailto:info@overspianos.com.au</div> <div>_______________________</div> </body> </html>