<HTML>I.<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">iginal Message ----- From: Erwinspiano@AOL.COM To: pianotech@ptg.org Sent: March 03, 2002 7:56 AM Subject: Re: Chines and multi-piece rims .        Dale writes >  I far prefer a laminated hardwood case. It must have superior impedance qualities over say soft wood rims but can't see why they'd have any advantage over a laid up hard wood (maple) rim. As long as there is a firm and rigid foundation for plate and board to attach to then all is well in my world. Does this make a lick of sense? Sure, but you're leaving out such things as soundboard size and shape, both of which have an effect on tone performance. Multi-piece rims can be made of anything--they can be built-up or laminated (ours will be laminated maple). Del </BLOCKQUOTE>             Del          Speaking of that I notices your kind of alluding to the yet  unexplained sound board shape comments. I presume they are proprietary. No sweat. But perhaps you or any one else wishes  to speak my comments as  to shape.    I find the Model O steinway a difficult nut to crack so to speak when putting new boards in them. They seem to have a narrow range of parameters in which they work well. Meaning they seem to be sensitive to having there ribs stiffened much before the sound seems stingy. Probably partly scale tension issues I don't believe they tolerate much extra board thickness either. But it is more than that and I suspect the board /rim shape is a big factor. So I've been wondering if the steinway L that replaced it is a better mouse trap by virtue of the case design being broad tailed there by allowing for the different"sound board shape"as opposed to the very round tailed O model. I don't have the same difficultys with the Stwy model Ms. It would appear this broad style would have more area behing the bass bridge allowing more freedon of movement.   I find the Ls to be less boomy in the bass and more mid rangish where the o's are frequently reffered to as a more romantic sounding piano.      I've only one Model O in my clientele that has an original board with legitimate crown and adequate bearing and tonally it is an amazing sound.     All the other O's I've encountered are mostly duds with flat boards.      >>>>>>>>.Dale Erwin>>>>>>>>>>>>> </HTML>