At 04:13 PM 12/8/98 +1100, you wrote: >Ron, >I have checked out what the problem is, apparently leaving the strings off >for any longer allows the soundboard to resume its original crown and thus >takes some time when placing tension back on the piano to return the >sounboard back to its position again. What do you think of that? Does it >take time for the soundboard to return to its original crown? when the >tension has been fully removed. >Thankyou, Stuart Stuart, What Del said. and something else. Even though the belly will rise (hopefully) somewhat when the strings are removed, that doesn't mean it has healed up. No matter how long the board is left unloaded, it isn't going to "revitalize". There might be a very minor temporary reversal of some of the accumulated creep deformation, depending on how the assembly was crowned in the first place, but it would be utterly inconsequential and very short lived when the strings are reinstalled. It's really impossible to know if waiting a certain amount of time before reinstalling strings makes any short term difference in how the board reacts unless you try it both ways on the same instrument. Even if you tried it and could measure any immediate difference in soundboard reaction, which I doubt, after a couple of days under load, you couldn't tell the difference. I'd be a lot more concerned about the general condition of the soundboard and whether it is even still usable. This isn't anything to worry about. Ron
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