<!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 6.00.2800.1264" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: = #ffffff" bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000040>"...you'll only find a few with = soundboards that were designed to have a crown..."</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>On what basis do you conclude that these old uprights have = soundboards that were <EM>designed</EM> to not have crown?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Terry Farrell</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 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> Wednesday, December 31, = 2003 8:56 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: No downbearing = ?</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV> <DIV>In a message dated 12/31/2003 7:10:31 AM Pacific Standard Time, = <A href="mailto:jjgranas@zigzag.pl">jjgranas@zigzag.pl</A> = writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px = solid"> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello y'all and tout le = monde,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have come across a puzzling = suggestion a few weeks ago: Namely, that downbearing is not really necessary in order = to transfer the vibration of the string to the soundboard panel, the = mere "grip" that the string has on the bridge being sufficient to assure = this transfer. Would anyone of you with experience in such issues care to = comment? </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Happy New Year = everybody</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Wishing you all wonderful = crowns, tight pins, and fautless repetition, </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jean-Jacques Granas</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=3><STRONG>      = Jean</STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 = size=3><STRONG>  I agree with the rest of these posts.  Look at all the old American = uprights you want, but you'll only find a few with soundboards that were designed = to have a crown and hence downbearing & Many of them sound very nice. In my = mind the upright soundboard is more of a mass driven system. I.e. long strings = and big soundboards. These boards are tapered, thicker at the top in = the treble & gradually thin down to about 1/4" near the bass/ bottom = end for flexibility. </STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=3><STRONG>    I recently put bridge caps on one = of the first Baldwin Uprights (1880) ever built. (Gorgeous looking = & sounding) The board was flat as a pancake. I shimmed hairline cracks = and then applied scraped off the old varnish and epoxy finish treatment to = the front of the board. This is an amazing sounding piano. I really think = that the hardness of the epoxy finish is also a contributing tonal factor.</STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 = size=3>   Food for the new year.</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 = size=3>   Dale Erwin</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=3>    Erwin Piano Restorations</FONT></STRONG></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>