Kiln dried vs Natural seasoning

[Farrell]

> > It is my opinion that a soundboard that is crowned by ribs only

Who on earth makes a soundboard like that?

> > It is also my opinion that if a piano is not played for a number of
years,
> > that the quality of tone will weaken but will return with play over a
period
> > of time.

Believe me, I have no opinion based in facts or experience on this, but just
a thought: could in not be that you play a piano after a few years and it
sounds "different", weaker tone quality - largely becuase you haven't played
it for a while - then it sounds better after a period of time of playing
it - becuase you have gotten used to it again.

The opposite could be true with regards to some men/women
interrelationships.

Terry Farrell

----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Brekne" <rbrekne@broadpark.no>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2001 6:01 AM
Subject: Kiln dried vs Natural seasoning
>
> Tony Caught wrote:
> >
> >  It is my impression that the tone of a modern new piano remains the
same
> > for the first few years then in pianos starts to deteriorate, slowly in
> > quality pianos and faster in others. Yet in the older pianos where the
> > soundboard timber was open air seasoned (as against the modern kiln
drying)
> > does not deteriorate to the same degree and possibly not at all except
for
> > grain compression problems.
>
> Bosendorfer makes a big point of out this. They claim that they do not
kiln dry
> any woods used in their instruments.
>
> > It is my opinion that a soundboard that is crowned by ribs only will
last
> > longer in quality of tone than any other and that if the board is also
open
> > air seasoned, it will last even longer. Also that a board made that way
will
> > improve in tone after it has been played for some time.
>
>  What do you base this one Tony...? very curious... grin.
>
> > It is also my opinion that if a piano is not played for a number of
years,
> > that the quality of tone will weaken but will return with play over a
period
> > of time.
>
> Well,,, there is a certain amount of justification for this from within
the
> science community... but just how far it actually goes I dont know.
Vibration is
> said to affect wood creep... and on the surface of the explaintions it is
hard
> to see why it wouldnt. However that would tend to simply help creep set in
along
> the lines of the stress exerted upon the wood. Still the basic premise
that
> vibration can effect wood physically there....still as yet this kind of
thing
> has yet to have a satisfactory explanation...let alone anything resembling
a
> proof. But then that kind of research takes money...
>
> > 36 years of tuning pianos give a person observational value only. I am
going
> > on my recollections of a period of time when I was tuning pianos in
stable
> > climatic condition, but, now that I have been living in the tropics for
some
> > 18 years, I am denied these observations.  Sometimes when I go down
south on
> > holidays (and tune a few friends pianos) I can hear again that sweet
tone
> > that can come from piano with a fitted with a soundboard made the right
way.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Tony
> >
>
> The thing I keep finding again and again is the significant number of
times that
> our subjective observations seem to point in directions that dont fit with
what
> we "know".  This should point to the need to look into things from new and
> different angles.. to ask new questions.. If for no other reason then
research
> is simply and in itself fascinating.
>
>
>
>
> --
> Richard Brekne
> RPT, N.P.T.F.
> Bergen, Norway
> mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
>
>