<!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 5.50.4134.100" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Dale,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My question is not related to keeping = old flat boards. I was simply wondering if a new board could work if = manufactured without any crown. Why is crown desireable?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards,</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Calin Tantareanu<BR>----------------------------------------------------<BR>&nb= sp;<A href="http://calintantareanu.tripod.com">http://calintantareanu.tripod.= com</A><BR>----------------------------------------------------<BR></FONT= ></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE 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> Sunday, August 10, 2003 = 9:40 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Soundboard = crown</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 = face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=2 FAMILY="SERIF">In a message dated 8/10/2003 = 10:41:17 AM Pacific Daylight Time, <A href="mailto:dnu@fx.ro">dnu@fx.ro</A> writes:<BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE"></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: = #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF">Subj: <B>Soundboard = crown </B><BR>Date: 8/10/2003 10:41:17 AM Pacific Daylight Time<BR>From: = <A href="mailto:dnu@fx.ro">dnu@fx.ro</A></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000040 = size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR>Reply-to: <A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A></FONT><FONT = lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000040 = size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR>To: <A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A></FONT><FONT = lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000040 = size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR><I>Sent from the Internet = </I><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000040 = size=3 = FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR>        =     More often than not a soundboard needs crown to produce the kind of = musical tone we expexct from a legitimate sounding piano. Though it sounds = like heresy I have heard some amazingly good sounding flat or virtually = flat boards. And some had considerable = bearing.</BLOCKQUOTE><BR>   Most of these were stwys but not always. and these pianos are the exception = and not the   rule. <BR>   To my mind If a client is = considering a  rebuilding <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE">project on such = a   </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial = color=#000040 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR>   </FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000040 = size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF">piano the issue  becomes one of sound board = longevity and integrity.     <BR>  Other  f <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE">actors, such as, does it make sense to put new bridge     </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000040 = size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR>   </FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000040 = size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF">caps,block, actions etc. on an old flat board if = an optimal result is the </FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: = #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000040 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE"></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: = #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000040 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF">desired outcome?</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000040 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF">       A harpsichord = ihas a very thin board and no plate. The structure is light and has trouble = staying tuned as it is even with no bearing. I admit to knowing little about = harpsichords except that they have little tension and a light sound. As to the = question of why a piano soundboard needs adequate crown and downbearing the simple = answer is because we know they sound better  both in the quality of tone = and in its ability to produce volumne/power. I'll let others cover the theory = as they're better at it than I. <BR>  Regards---Dale = Erwin</FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial = color=#000040 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE"></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: = #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000040 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR>Hello!<BR><BR>I = have followed the numeorus discussions on this list oabout rib-crowned = vs.<BR>compression crowned soundboards with great interest.<BR>However, I am asking = myself if a soundboard always needs  crown in order to<BR>work = properly?<BR>I heard about some old pianos with no measurable crown that sound very = good.<BR>I have even seen some where no crown seemed left, yet the performance was<BR>very good. I read that harpsichords do not have crowned = boards (except the<BR>Italian ones).<BR>So, why is a crown = necessary?<BR>Would a flat board, but with enough downbearing for teh strings, work or<BR>not?<BR><BR>Regards,<BR><BR><BR>Calin = Tantareanu<BR>----------------------------------------------------<BR>htt= p://calintantareanu.tripod.com<BR>---------------------------------------= -------------<BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000040 size=2 = FAMILY="SERIF"><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>