soundboards improving with age? or what else?

Richard Brekne rbrekne@broadpark.no
Fri, 08 Jun 2001 09:25:57 +0200



Delwin D Fandrich wrote:

>
> > Every tree is
> > different.  Every board is different.  I think that in piano's, by the
> time
> > the board has reached it's ideal age, it many times has already lost it's
> > crown.
>
> Age has nothing to do with the performance of a piano soundboard. At least
> not age by itself. It's time under stress that we are concerned with. That
> and how much stress the soundboard is subjected to during that time. In
> other words, there is no 'ideal age' for a piano soundboard. It still boils
> down to how much does it weigh (what is its mass) and how stiff is it? And
> the stiffness of a piano soundboard changes with time under load.
>
> Regards,
>
> Del

Ok... cant let this slip by as I fail to see that this has been shown to be true
beyond any reasonable doubt... for that matter a long ways from it. Just because
we know that the most significant measureable factor on soundboards is stress
over time does not serve as proof that there are not other factors involved. You
just posted that a 100 or so year old  panel with new ribs "probably" would
sound the same as a brand new panel in relation to Andre's posting. A direct
consequence of this reasoning (and the above) is that we dont need new panels at
all. Just rip out any old panel from an old birdcage wreck...glue it back into
one piece and rib crown it with new ribs and it will sound good as new. I am
sure the soundboard manufacturers will be very pleased at this notion.

You show us, refere us to, quote, or in some other sense document the studies
that conclusively show that there are no significant changes in the way sound
and wood inter-relate as a result of wood ageing, or varnishing for that matter.
When you do, you will no doubt end the discussion that has been raging about
this for god knows how many years. Until you can do this...you reside in exactly
the same place as those who declare other unsubstantiated ideas to be fact. No
offence meant Del... but really... You want to put an end to all the "mystikk"
surrounding this and other such subject matter... then you need to stop blowing
your own magic smoke first.

And for the last time... nobody is comparing Violins directly to pianos... the
Violin examples are used in conjunction with wood ageing... not with differing
stress situations. Until you prove that ageing of wood per se has no
significance... then it will continue to be natural to use such examples.

Science is science... treat it that way. This is beginning to remind me of those
Doctors Ron Nossaman is on about all the time... grin

Freindly regards.


--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway
mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no




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