glass soundboard.

[Wimblees@aol.com]

Frans:

Thank you for writing. Good to have you on board.

The main questions I have are: 1 how does he make the glass soundboard?; 2.
does it have crown?, 3. how does he put the crown in? If Kees is reluctant to
share these answers, I can understand, but perhaps if he shared some of his
ideas, and concerns, we might be able to help him.  If, according to Andre,
he has bene reluctant to talk to the manufacturers, perhaps we could pursuade
him to do so. It would be in his best interest, both in stature and
financially, if he had the manufactureres help him develop this project.

As I have mentioned, I heard a CD with him playing on one of his glass
soundboard pianos, and the sound is very pleasant.  There could be a future
in glass soundboards,  not as competition with wood soundboards, but, as you
said, as a new kind of instrument.

Wim Blees  RPT
St. Louis

In a message dated 97-01-23 23:34:48 EST, Frans  Sedee writes:

>Hallo Wim,
>
>I can tell you a little more about the glass soundboard. Mr. de Baat has so
>far removed wooden soundboards from several uprights and grands and replaced
>them with glass soundboards. He is reluctant tell anybody how he does it
>until he has all the patents his thinks he will need which I think is
>understandable. The following is just some thoughts and questions I have.
>I think his experiments are made possible by modern glues that enable him to
>glue glass to wood. As far as I have seen, only the soundboard has been
>replaced in these instruments. The original bridges are used and the board
>is glued to the wooden frame. There were no ribs applied,and I wonder if a
>"crown" was made.
>I assume that the piano will be a lot less sensitive to moisture changes,
>and therefore will stay in tune longer. The instrument I heard was a small
>upright that was not in balance in all registers. There was an increase in
>sustain in the middle and low register. The frequenties absorbed by this
>kind of soundboard are problably in a higher range than those of a wooden
>soundboard.
>(The organ doesn't have to be reinvented though.)
>Glass transports vibrations at a very high speed and it does so equally
>in all directions. This could increase the problems of "unclearness" of
lower
>voicings especially in overstrung piano's. Glass is also, if I remember
>correctly, actually a liquid and I wonder how well it can support the
>downbearing that is needed on the bridges. The piano I heard was also not
>very loud.
>I admire Kees'(short for Cornelis) energy to start these experiments. So far
>he hasn't had his breakthrough and this could be because musically he hasn't
>improved anything yet. I think that the glass soundboard could be a concept
>for a completely new acoustical keyboard instrument, but applied in a piano
>that has been develloped with a wooden soundboard, that had music written
for
>it with a wooden soundboard it will be difficult to define improvement.
>If you have any questions for Kees de Baat I can ask them for you.
>Greetings, Frans Sedee
>
>
>