1) Yes, it is called a “crown retention system” but, because of the shape and construction of the ribs, it cannot do this. Set up the experiment yourself and you’ll see why. M&H soundboards—along with those of many other piano makers—generally do retain their crown over the years but this is due to the fact that the ribs themselves are crowned prior to being glued to the soundboard panel. 2) Many who have been thinking about this phenomena have been questioning the need for crown. It is essential to the performance of compression-crowned soundboard systems; less so, if at all, with rib-crowned systems. Ribs can easily be designed to provide the stiffness required to control the impedance of the soundboard system. Soundboard systems without crown have been built that operate successfully as long as the string-to-bridge interface is properly controlled. There is growing evidence that flat soundboard systems that are forced into a “reverse-crown” configuration by applied string bearing may end up working just as well. There is very little published research on this. 3) The spider does add stiffness to the rim (although with M&H rims being as massively built as they are additional stiffness hardly seems necessary). Some of us have tried removing the tension on the legs of the spider and, to my knowledge, no one has yet to be able to hear the difference. I don’t know of anyone who has tried recording and analyzing the before and after tone produced with these experiments with anything approaching sophisticated spectrum analyzers. ddf Delwin D Fandrich Piano Design & Fabrication 6939 Foothill Court SW, Olympia, Washington 98512 USA Phone 360.515.0119 — Cell 360.388.6525 <mailto:del at fandrichpiano.com> del at fandrichpiano.com — <mailto:ddfandrich at gmail.com> ddfandrich at gmail.com From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Euphonious Thumpe Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 5:49 AM To: caut at ptg.org Subject: Re: [CAUT] Fwd: Mason & Hamlin soundboard model with tuning fork … Should it not be remembered that the M&H turnbuckle device does not CREATE crown ( that is done during board construction) but rather is intended to merely preserve it (in all planes, even if ever so slight) by preventing "case spread"? Would those who are so critical of the efficacy of this device ( and the very importance of crown ) also fully explain to us, please, why they impart crown, at all, in their own board designs? (Yes, I belive it has been well explained as "for stiffness" -- but perhaps the "spider" assists in this, and serves another function also - such as in transferral of vibration equitably from one part of the case to another, and consequently back to the board, helping to create the M&H's nearly unique, signature, resonance.) Could not the value of the M&H device be simply demonstrated by temporarily removing one, and making a scientific before/after analyzation of tone? ( In same RH, temperature, barometric pressure and etc..) Most Respectfully, Thumpe _____ From: Delwin D Fandrich <del at fandrichpiano.com>; To: <caut at ptg.org>; Subject: Re: [CAUT] Fwd: Mason & Hamlin soundboard model with tuning fork Sent: Fri, May 11, 2012 8:01:48 PM Assuming we’re thinking of the same device, it demonstrates nothing besides the fact that you can make a piece of wood that is forcibly bent by applying pressure to its ends—i.e., longitudinally to grain—resonant. This is not how piano soundboards are crowned nor is it how they work. ddf Delwin D Fandrich Piano Design & Fabrication 6939 Foothill Court SW, Olympia, Washington 98512 USA Phone 360.515.0119 — Cell 360.388.6525 del at fandrichpiano.com <javascript:return> — ddfandrich at gmail.com <javascript:return> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Alan Eder Sent: Friday, May 11, 2012 11:48 AM To: caut at ptg.org Subject: Re: [CAUT] Fwd: Mason & Hamlin soundboard model with tuning fork By no stretch of the imagination it is my personal call what to include in the final cut of the film, but I am very interested in your critique of the phenomenon this model is designed to demonstrate, and would like to see your perspective integrated into the discussion. Please elaborate on your comment. Thanks, Alan Eder -----Original Message----- From: Delwin D Fandrich < <javascript:return> del at fandrichpiano.com> To: caut < <javascript:return> caut at ptg.org> Sent: Fri, May 11, 2012 11:01 am Subject: Re: [CAUT] Fwd: Mason & Hamlin soundboard model with tuning fork Why would you want to include such misinformation in what might otherwise be a technically accurate presentation? ddf Delwin D Fandrich Piano Design & Fabrication 6939 Foothill Court SW, Olympia, Washington 98512 USA Phone 360.515.0119 — Cell 360.388.6525 del at fandrichpiano.com <javascript:return> — ddfandrich at gmail.com <javascript:return> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org <javascript:return> [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org <javascript:return> ] On Behalf Of Alan Eder Sent: Friday, May 11, 2012 9:38 AM To: caut at ptg.org <javascript:return> Subject: [CAUT] Fwd: Mason & Hamlin soundboard model with tuning fork List, As you may or may not know, there is a film being made about the rebuilding of a Steinway grand by Richard Davenport and cohorts called "Raising a Grand." Most of the shooting is already in the can, but we are still getting some pick-up shots. In order to demonstrate the need for crown in a piano soundboard, we would like to use one of those Mason and Hamlin demonstration models in which the mini-soundboard can readily have crown added or taken away, to demonstrate the pronounced difference presence or absence of crown can make. Anyone who can provide us with such a beast will be properly compensated with our undying thanks and a Reward In Heaven. Thanks, Alan Eder -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/20120523/d1ac030d/attachment-0001.htm>
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