[CAUT] Bridge design/Pure sound wire

[Ron Nossaman]

:
> Ron,
> 
> Thanks for the feedback. We are doing a new scale throughout. Juan is
> doing that for me. The soundboard is going to be replaced. 
> 
> Juan, as with many Europeans, seems to have very definite ideas about
> friction, procedures, etc. I just take some of these with a grain of
> salt, but I will try everything. Like polishing all friction points with
> crocus cloth. (It didn't seem to do much.)
> 
> Ron, you are far beyond most of us in this area. I've shown the photos
> of the "Nossaman D" to many technicians and to most of them it is like
> Voodoo to redesign such things. I know you are close to Del and have
> learned much from him and others over many years, but what do you
> suggest as far as starting places to learn about bridge design, etc.?
> Are there any written materials that you know of? Of course, I know this
> type of "skill" can't be acquired by "book learnin', but there must be
> something that one could study to better understand the theories. Any
> advice?
> 
> Thanks again,
> Jim Busby

Hi Jim,
Pretty much all the information, secrets included, are in the 
Pianotech archives. Del started the whole thing, outlining basic 
principals of soundboard impedance, and it went from there. There's 
at least five books worth, scattered through the years since the 
inception of the list. Read and process the informational stuff 
first, and save the argumentative and counterproductive stuff for 
after you understand the basics and can put it into perspective. 
Then get into the molecules if you feel the need after hearing the 
results. There's no short path. You have to burn a lot of time, a 
pile of brain cells, and more than a little cash to make sense of 
it. It's not Voodoo, but it does cost sweat and blood. The biggest 
hurdle is getting over the idea that one can throw in a "feature" at 
random and make a predictable difference. Everything works together, 
and everything affects everything else.

Ron N