lexan or plexiglass for soundboards?

[Peter Kestens]

Andy,


you have to contact Peter Tol in the Netherlands.  He made a piano of
"plexiglas", except for the plate and the mechanical parts.  I think the
address is www.chrystalpiano.com
Let me know if it isn't.

Peter
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: AndyTTaylr@AOL.COM <AndyTTaylr@AOL.COM>
Aan: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
CC: Rolldigest@AOL.COM <Rolldigest@AOL.COM>
Datum: zaterdag 28 november 1998 8:48
Onderwerp: lexan or plexiglass for soundboards?


>Hi
>I have wondered about this for several years, I wonder if a synthetic
material
>be used to replace spruce soundboards and has anyone in the group
experimented
>with soundboards?
>
>Lexan(I am not sure if I spelled that correctly) is used in high power
speaker
>boxes. It looks sort of like Plexiglas. It seems to be very responsive as
far
>as amplification and vibration goes.
>
>I was thinking that an experiment could be made with a cheap old upright
that
>has a solid piano action, By tearing it down, Gluing the ribs to a 1/4"
sheet
>of lexan (or similar material) forcing crown into the material, installing
the
>bridges & restring the old piano and finding out how loud the tone would
be. I
>certainly think it would not suffer cracks like the old spruce does.
>
> Who knows........ it might be very loud and sweet or it might be
completely
>dead!
>
>Also I would like a source for ABS plastic hammer butts. I have heard about
>them and would like to try a set on a player piano to see how well they
would
>hold up in a high stress situation.
>
>I would appreciate your thoughts.
>Andy Taylor