glass soundboard, was Re: electrical ears

[Wimblees@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-01-19 14:33:21 EST, Bob Moffit write:

>I would love to hear more on this glass soundboard.

Bob

I have several pictures of pianos with a glass soundboard. On the upright,
the picture is taken from the back. The back posts are there, and then you
can see the plate and the strings and the behind that the action. The picture
of the grand piano is taken from above, and you can see right through the
strings to the floor below. It does look kind of strange, because you think
the soundboard is missing.

According to Mr DeBaat, the material is hardened flint glass and is
insensitive to climatic changes. He also states that the instalation of the
glass soundboard is "childs play". But he doesn't explain how it is done. He
also doesn't explain how he makes the soundboard in the first place.

I have a CD with him playing a piano with the glass soundboard, and the tone
is very pleasant, or as he puts it "homogenous".

By the way, speaking of soundboards with different materials, I worked on a
piano once with a steel soundboard. The piano was made in Sweden, and only 2
were made. At the time I was working on it, I made a bunch of pictures, but
then someone stole the camera. The sound of that piano was very much like the
hollow sound of the steel drums of the Caribean. Very interesting. The
customer was not happy with me because I charged more than she thought I
should have to repair the piano, and so I have never been back to tune it.
 When I first looked at the piano, the customer gave me the patents for the
soundboard, and I made copies of it. Appearantly her grandfather invented the
thing back at the turn of the century, and this piano was the only one in
this country.

Willem Blees  RPT
St. Louis