Soundboard Evaluation

[Greg Newell]

Terry,
    My two cents, FWIW, may seem contradictory to your plan of attack. I'm not
too sure that this piano is worth all that in the eyes of it's owner. It's
really an art piece for them, no? Donated by some VIP but they never really
intend to be used? I know you want to make it the best you can and be proud to
call that your work but I wonder if anyone there really cares as long as it's
still standing.
    Could you not lower the plate to achieve the downbearing your looking for?
Might not be ideal but more expedient and less expensive. Is it worth a thought
as a backup measure? I've no doubt that you'll make it a better instrument no
matter where you go from here. Just make sure that it's not only in the pianos'
best interest but the customers' as well.

Greg

Farrell wrote:

> Looking for a second (or third!) opinion on a soundboard. This is the 5' 4"
> Knabe grand that I just finished installing a keybed in. I just flipped it
> over and put the action in (it actually fit in - yeaaaa!). Piano sounds a
> bit weak and has a bad killer octave area. I measured for downbearing with
> the goofy little three point brass thingee. Absolutely ZERO downbearing on
> the whole long bridge. Everywhere. Zero. Never saw that before. A little bit
> of bearing on the bass bridge. Checked for crown with the string. Excellent
> even 3/32" crown roughly centered under long bridge for the two tenor
> sections, about 1/16" to 1/32" crown for the lower part of the treble
> section, and zero crown for the upper treble section (exactly where the
> killer octave area starts!) and the high treble section.
>
> I'm gonna have one more go with the owner (a hospital - my guy who makes the
> piano decisions is the dude you call to have a light bulb changed or if you
> get stuck in the elevator) about rebuilding. I need to decide how heavily I
> am going to push a new soundboard. The board has no cracks. I had to glue
> the tenor end of the long bridge back to the soundboard a few year ago
> because it was buzzing.
>
> I clearly feel a new soundboard is needed to bring the piano up to its
> potential. But, playing devil's advocate, most of the board has good crown -
> why not just recap the bridges and put in appropriate downbearing - although
> admittedly this would be tough in the high treble where there is already a
> flat board - although hard to measure the little bit of crown that
> would/should be there.
>
> I say if the plate is coming out for new bridge caps, give it a new board
> also - otherwise they will likely have a very lackluster bla piano.
> Waddayasay???
>
> Terry Farrell

--
Greg Newell
Greg's Piano Forté
12970 Harlon Ave.
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
216-226-3791
mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net