"New/Old S.B. Wood"

[Daleboy@AOL.COM]

Dear Josep and List,	
	I read one response to this thread about the cellular composition of wood
becoming more "resonant" with age due to the loss of the "plasms' in the cells
of the wood thereby making it more responsive to vibration. True but, this
loss also indicates that the cell structure is breaking down. Some panels of
this  vintage S.B. wood may indeed have reached that point where the wood is
just at the right point of looseness or responsive......but..... What happens
to that same wood when you once again add the stress of crown and downbearing
pressure for another 20 or so odd years??
	It is perhaps a matter of practical engineering that new wood which can often
be of higher quality than the original soundboard material be used instead of
rebuilding dead wood. Why risk the possible structural failure of the
soundboard and components when one could greatly increase the chance at giving
the customer back an instrument that could go for 20+ years or more before
needing another rebuild?? All soundboards come into their own optimum
resonance with some peaking at a much faster rate than others it seems.
	The old analogy of "The Stradivarius" was once again used......thus comparing
apples to oranges again. I don't understand why techs will do this from time
to time. I've never heard of a vintage "Strad" being rebuilt with a new top
have you?? Is there a burial ground for those things once they're dead or do
they all wind up at the Smithsonean. (I know little about "Strads")
Sincerely,
Dale Whitehead, RPT
Franklin Piano Restorations
TN