<HTML>In a message dated 8/31/2002 11:05:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time, mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Subj:Re: Hygrometer Date:8/31/2002 11:05:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time From:<A HREF="mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com">mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com</A> Reply-to:<A HREF="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> To:<A HREF="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> Sent from the Internet   It certainly does seem strange to me that in any factory relying on compression crowning  in this age of technology would want to insure a more uniform temp./R.H. levels to srictly control emc. When I visited Mason& Hamlin the hot box temp. humidity and air circulatuion was meticously maintained for even EMC levels prior to pressing. Mason and Hamlin is rib crowning their boards by the way.</BLOCKQUOTE> ...Dale Erwin <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> Dale wrote: > Remember the conditions which many soundboard were pressed up in the > Piano factories on the East coast were archaic at best. The zero EMC in the > winter and 80% with high temps in the summer. In your worst day in your shop > you'll all do better than that. This is one thing that has always struck me. I'm sure your statement is correct. I am also sure that some new pianos are nice pianos, and some of the same model are not so nice. High-end Brand X piano manufacturer I think can get away with having only a percentage of their pianos come out nice. Most/many folks that buy pianos - even high end ones - don't know that much about pianos and/or don't play very well, and can't tell the difference between a really nice piano, and one that is below par. </BLOCKQUOTE> </HTML>