James Grebe wrote: > Hi Tom, > Wurlitzer used the calibrated element on their grands and verticals from > around 1975 and earlier. Don't know when they stopped. It was claimed that > the extensions of the bridge over more area of the soundboard spread the > vibration over a larger potion of the soundboard causing the amplification > to be better. When they stopped building their own grands the CE died. The > last real Wurli grands were not bad. > James Grebe ------------------------------------------- Since soundboards don't amplify, we can rule out amplification as a possible function of this device. If memory serves -- and it's been quite a few years since I've seen a Wurlitzer grand -- this device both stiffened and mass loaded the soundboard in the region around the lower portion of the tenor bridge. Since this area is often too floppy it accepts energy from the bridge at a faster rate than is desirable. This device slowed the transfer of energy, thus extending the sustain time of the tenor unisons leading down to the bass/tenor break. Del
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