Susan said:
Do you feel that the time schedule for concert pianos leaving their prime might depend partly on the climate they find themselves in? Or just the amount and kind of playing and maintenance they receive?
Greetings,
Consider, like a car engine, the soundboard as the compression chamber of the piano. It will gradually lose power, and not on a linear curve. I think the first 6 years can be the best. However, I have seen some 90 year old Steinways that compare well with new ones, (surpassing many). These are the exceptions, but Iwonder if the factory has taken some of these that are still singinglong after other, newer ones are dead, and examined exactly how theboard was built and fitted.
Is there a difference in sound caused by modern glue vs the hide of yesteryear? Are the rim notches cut as tightly now as they were in 1920? Is the bearing being set with the same understanding and care as always?
We don't have the guys that did it, but other comparisons can be made. Thecare and technique of construction have a tremendous effect on allinstruments, and the soundboard/bridge/case/rib assembly is at theheart of the piano. How much different from a normal violin is a Stradivarius when they are both disassembled? I don't think that much, it is the assembly that makes the Strad so much better.
Vanderbilt got a Steinway D re-boarded at the factory, and it was flat within 1 year. It has a weak top half and the tone is decrepit. The official response was that it must have been something to do with the environment, because it couldn't be the fault of the restoration dept. So, the official word seems to be that board deterioration is strictly environment. I completely disagree with this, by the way.
Regards,
Ed Foote RPT
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