Soundboard Evaluation

[Farrell]

"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."

It is (or would be) played daily (or at least often) by University music
school student volunteers. The piano sits in the lobby of the Moffitt Cancer
Research Center where patients wait for clinic appointments. There are
always a dozen or more folks waiting out there. These music kids are GOOD.
IMHO they need a good instrument (easy for me to say, I guess).

"Could you not lower the plate to achieve the downbearing your looking for?
Might not be ideal but more expedient and less expensive."

I think I would have some lattitude in the tenor area, but in the whole
treble I have no crown and no bearing. If I add bearing (by either putting
on new bridge caps or lowering the plate) anywhere in the treble (and it
needs it everywhere) unless the board is made of some space-age
titanium-impregnated plastic (board looks a lot like spruce), it will likely
quickly (like as I bring up string tension) develope negative crown (but of
course a well known manufacturer in NY builds pianos this way!). If I were
going to do this, I would do it by capping the bridges - cracks at the base
of most bridge pins, and the termites ate the cap off the high treble (I
have nice pictures of this one - they ate everwhere, but left about 1/64" of
maple around the bridge pins so that pins positions appear to be normal!!!).
But why restring (gonna need a pinblock also - it has about size 15/0 pins -
they look like wheel lugs on a semi) and put new bridge caps on a
door-nail-dead soundboard?

Sounds like time to either play the thing as it is or go all the way (of
couse the only trouble with this avenue is that the action is super heavy
and sluggish). This is why my recommendations to piano owners with worn-out
pianos (and they want a piano that works acceptably) is either junk this one
and get one that works, or rebuild the dern thing top to bottom - action,
backaction, strings, bridges, board, etc. (Of couse I do seem to be getting
fewer folks interested in rebuilding after we talk about the fees - I
wonder - was it something I said?) One thing just seems to lead to another!

Terry Farrell

----- Original Message -----
From: "Greg Newell" <gnewell@ameritech.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2001 11:51 PM
Subject: Re: Soundboard Evaluation


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