Steinway flat board

[Les Smith]

Hi, Horace.

How long should a soundboard retain it's crown? It's all relative,
today, Horace. Relative to the length of the warranty! Let me ex-
plain. We've all seen vintage Steinways, Mason and Hamlins, Chick-
erings, Knabes, Stecks, Webers and other fine pianos which, today,
100 years later, still have measurable crown in their soundboards,
even in original, unrestored condition. But those instruments were
made back in the "Dark Ages" of the piano, technologically speak-
ing. Ny modern standards they were grossly--assumedly because of
ignorance-- over-engineered and over-built. In the century of en-
lightenment which has ensued, where modern instruments are able to
take full advantage of current mass-production techniques like com-
puter-aided design, multi-national out-sourcing, and a constant flow
of innovations which are constantly labeled "new and improved" but
really mean that someone found a way to do it cheaper--which in o-
day's world automatically means "better"--we have finally reached
that point in the evolution of the piano, that culmination of al-
most 290 years of progress since the first rudimentary design of
Christophori, where the manufacturer can now, for the first time,
accurately match the warranty to the design and quality of the
piano. In others words, a piano that carries a warranty of five
years, is designed to last five years and one day. A piano with
a ten years warranty, designed to last ten years and one day. It's
one of the miracles of modern piano technology! So when you ask
how long the crown on soundboard should last, it's all relative--
to the length of the warranty. No more of this nonsense about a
piano being so over-engineered and over-built that it will out-
last the warranty by a century, or so. Modern technology has cor-
rected THAT MISTAKE, alright!

Sound cynical?  You bet it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Les Smith
lessmith@buffnet.net








On Wed, 19 Mar 1997, Horace Greeley wrote:

> Les,
>
> WHAT????
>
> You mean, after all these years of freezing my nether regions off, there's
> NO GREAT PUMPKIN?
>
> OH, WOE!
>
> I suppose that this means that soundboards are supposed to stay crowned
> longer than 8 years, too?
>
> Best.
>
> Horace
>
>
>
> >On Wed, 19 Mar 1997, Rob Kiddell wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> From:          Les Smith <lessmith@buffnet.net>
> >>
> >> >we build them so good now, we only have  to give five years!" Now
> >> >I'm only expressing an opinion here, but I would suggest that if one
> >> >buys that explaination, they not only put out a plate of cookies and
> >> >glass of milk for Santa Claus on Christmas eve; get up early Easter
> >> >morning, hoping to catch the bunny filling the baskets; and put
> >> >their loose teeth under the pillow, hoping for the Tooth fairy to
> >> >pay them a visit during the night; but they probably are also
> >> >waiting anxious-
> >>
> >>
> >> Whatt?!? Youv'e just shattered four of my illusions on a Tuesday
> >> morning. What a terrible thing to do to previously unsuspecting
> >> techs!   8-)
> >>
> >> Rob K
> >
> >Wow, Bob, FOUR illusions in ome day! Soryy about that! Now I'm really
> >glad that I didn't mention the Great Pumpkin Hoax at Halloween,too,
> >or it might have been FIVE....oops! :)
> >
> >Les Smith
> >lessmith@buffnet.net
>
>
>
>
> Horace Greeley			hgreeley@leland.stanford.edu
>
> 	"Always forgive your enemies,
> 		nothing annoys them so much.
>
> 			-	Oscar Wilde
>
> LiNCS				voice: 725-4627
> Stanford University		fax: 725-9942
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>