Steinway Sustain

[Carl Meyer]

I'm interested in this spring thing.  Years ago I had this brain spasm about
adding a spring between the rib and one of the huge posts in the back of an
upright piano that had a collapsed soundboard.

Hard to justify a new soundboard in an old upright piano, but I can
visualize a huge spring like a valve spring from a diesel truck inserted in
a hole drilled thru a post and adjusted with a large bolt  turned by a 3
foot crescent wrench to pooch that old soundboard right back out there where
it should be.

I guess I'd tune the piano, find the man eating killer octave and adjust the
bolt for a 20 cent rise in pitch, retune and see if any improvement is made.
Repeat as required.

Del, if you'd give me some general guide lines I'd like to try this.  I'll
try most any thing once and sometimes twice.  I promise to report the
results.

Speaking of man-eating octaves, I once was in an Asian restaurant and saw a
man-eating octopus.  Awesome!!!

I'm in my silly mode tonight.

Carl Meyer


----- Original Message -----
From: Delwin D Fandrich <pianobuilders@olynet.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2001 10:03 AM
Subject: Re: Steinway Sustain


>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tony Caught" <caute@optusnet.com.au>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: April 18, 2001 4:42 AM
> Subject: Re: Steinway Sustain
>
>
>
>
> > You are confirming my opinion that the 'killer octave' is caused by
other
> > than the action it total and that the problem has to be addressed in
other
> > areas first. As you point out, the soundboard is the problem or the
string
> > to soundboard area is the problem.
> > Possible causes, aliquot bar to low, string contact with bridge, bridge
> > weakened at this area, bridge soundboard contact not solid, rib or ribs
> weak
> > in affected area, soundboard thinned in affected area, soundboard
> distorted.
>
> You can pretty much rule out the aliquot bar to low, string contact with
the
> bridge, bridge weakened at this area, bridge soundboard contact not solid,
> etc., as being the cause of the tone problems you originally described.
>
> But you will find the ribs to be fairly 'weak.' They are -- of
necessity --
> somewhat flexible in a compression-crowned board. Remember, the ribs have
to
> bend easily enough for the expanding soundboard panel to force them into a
> curve (the crown). Unless there is some crown physically cut into them,
ribs
> in these boards do not support crown; they resist it.
>
> You will also find the wood fibers fairly well compressed -- due to
> compression set -- in the soundboard panel if the piano is more than a
> couple of seasons old. Especially so if the panel has been thinned through
> this region. And you may find the soundboard to be distorted.
>
>
>
> > Will try the weight idea first to see if it will improve the
sustain/tone
> of
> > this area and if so, what is your opinion in thickening the ribs in the
> > affected area or in stiffing the ribs. would this do the same thing as
> > hanging a weight ?
>
> Well, this goes back to the old idea of adding springs to the system.
> Although the idea has been pretty thoroughly ridiculed over the years by
> many of the more proper technicians, I'm not sure it's such a bad idea.
> Since it is soundboard stiffness that is lost through the compression-set
of
> the wood fibers in the soundboard panel, why not at least attempt to add
> some back through the use of an auxiliary spring? I'm not altogether sure
> the soundboard can tell the difference. At least it's easily removable if
it
> doesn't work and, if you've been careful, no one will ever know you've
been
> down there. Several of us semi-old-timers have experimented with this over
> the years. Let me know if you're interested in pursuing the subject.
>
> Del
>
>