Rebuilt Steinway

[Farrell]

Go to their website. steinway.com - Under "Technical" & then "Soundboard"

Copied from S&S website:

Effect of Cracks and Checks

For this very reason a crack or check in a soundboard reduces the
soundboard's ability to amplify the vibrations of the strings only to the
extent to which the crack reduces the vibrating area of the board.

Soundboard areas vary with the size of various pianos, but consider for
example a board with an area of 4,000 square inches, counting both surfaces.
Now assume that there is a crack in this board 35 inches long and one-eighth
inch wide, which would be an enormous crack. That crack would have an area
(counting both surfaces) of 8 3/4 inches, and so would reduce the air
disturbing area of the board by less than 1/4 of one per cent, an amount
utterly negligible.

Here we have considered the effect of an enormously big crack. A dozen
ordinary cracks, even if they extended from end to end of the soundboard,
might have about as much effect, certainly no more. So long, in fact, as the
structure of the soundboard remains solid, with ribs and bridges adhering
correctly to the surface of the soundboard, and with the entire periphery
rigidly fastened into the frame of the piano, the question of cracks is
utterly unimportant.

FYI!

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com

----- Original Message -----
From: <kam544@flash.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 15, 2000 8:39 PM
Subject: Re: Rebuilt Steinway


> >Small cracks in soundboards are in themselves nothing to be concerned
> >about, and
> >indeed really nothing to even bother repairing outside of cosmetic
issues.
> >Steinway themselves say this and have publicised information to that
effect...
> >Richard Brekne...
>
> Richard,
>
> I'd be interested in reading this information you say Steinway publicises
> concerning cracked soundboards.  Would you please provide the reference
> source?
>
> Keith McGavern
> Registered Piano Technician
> Oklahoma Chapter 731
> Piano Technicians Guild
> USA
>
>
>
>