In a message dated 30/12/01 11:33:50 AM, fordpiano@lycos.com writes: <<" Maybe they know something we don't. ">> Not really Phil since acoustic guitars work on the principle of a sound chamber and as such the thickness of the chambers enclosure is not all that critical. Even at that the thickness, material and construction techniques used in an acosutic guitar has a large influence on the tone of that guitar. Don't most of us know that?? :-) <<"You would think that guitar builders would be more concerned about energy dissipation than piano builders,">> Concerned..yes but their concern is focused on the vacant space as much, if not more, as it is on the material. For example a guitar designed as an electric thingee, you know with the solid body, has very good sustain but no useful volume without being plugged into an amp...whereas that same design will have a shorter sustain and more useful volume when built to be an acosutic thingeee. Tradeoffs...doncha know?? <<"<< Why do you think having a very flexible support would 'dissipate' energy? For energy to be transferred what the energy is transferring into has to be capable of absorbing it. If you push on a noodle very little work is done to move it and very little of the energy from you finger is going to 'dissipate' in the noodle. >> <<"Why do you think having a very flexible support would 'dissipate' energy?">> Phil I can't improve on Ron N's "donnnnnngggggggg," and "donk." post so I won't even try............ :-) <<"For energy to be transferred what the energy is transferring into has to be capable of absorbing it.">> Perhaps we are separated by a common language here............. but a soundboard is not as useful when it ""transfers"" energy as it is when the energy is contained/reflected back into the board by whatever is supporting the board. A soft support system will absorb/dissipate/waste energy before it reflects back a portion and as such is a 'vibration sink' and not a really viable support system............. <<"If you push on a noodle very little work is done to move it and very little of the energy from you finger is going to 'dissipate' in the noodle.">> Damn....... "Noodles"?????...well ok but first you have to state whether this eratz "noodle" is dry or wet and cooked or uncooked, whether it is flat or round or elbow shaped...even when this is determined it is obvious to me that you have never tried to "push on a noodle".........If the noodle is dry the shape will determine the forces needed to guide the "noodle" to where you want it to go...after all if it doesn't go where you want it to go what good is pushing on the danged thingee to begin with???............if the "noodle' is wet it will mostly start sticking to whatever surface you put it on and go in the path of least resistance without regard as to where you want it to go............if the noodle is cooked you can push on it all you want to and it ain't gonna go where you want....... untillllllllll you get it stretched out to the point where you begin pulling it rather than pushing it....doncha know??? (for documetation on this point see extensive research writings vis a vis wildcats and cooked noodles!!) There is a line between 'suspension' sytems and 'support' systems...to end this post I would say that, using a car analogy, a flexible soundboard termination would act more like a shock absorber than a mounting bracket...one being designed to 'dampen' and the other being designed to 'support'. My view. Jim Bryant (FL)
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