Laminated soundboard panels

[Delwin D Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Nossaman" <RNossaman@cox.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: December 02, 2002 11:58 AM
Subject: Re: Laminated soundboard panels


>
> >Yes. The original Baldwin 148 design had the faces at a 30º angle to the
> >core.
> >
> >For most of the reasons you mention.
> >
> >Del.
>
>
> I note the word "original", and don't recall seeing laminations in these
> boards. Though I miss plenty of other obvious things on a regular basis.
> How did they manage to delete a good idea like that from the design and
> keep that compression crowned bridge? Or was it that the laminated panel
> didn't further compression crown those 72' radius ribs like a solid panel
> does? I presume they nixed any deviation from "standard" crown radii too.


I don't really know what happened to the design between prototype and
production. (H-148 refers to the working title given to the project back
when it was scheduled to be called a Hamilton and the piano was to be 148 cm
long. The name was later changed and the piano grew just a bit, ending up
just shy of 150 cm long.)

Those few early production pianos I saw in dealer's showrooms still had
laminated, all-spruce soundboards (originally built at the old Wurlitzer
plant in Holly Springs) though I couldn't tell anything about grain angles.
And they looked like they still had pre-crowned ribs laid out pretty much
like I intended -- i.e., in a radial pattern. I've no idea what, how or
where the actual crown ended up. It was supposedly milled in at the old
Posey plant and was always some problematic -- most days we were happy to
just have some.

Anyway, after looking at a few production instruments on and off during the
first couple of years I became so disgusted with their incredibly erratic
build quality I gave up and tried to ignore the later instruments.

Del