Bridge/Strut Notch & Cut-Off Bars

[Farrell]

Someone recently posted about notching of the long bridge to allow for plate strut clearance. I saw a first for me yesterday while pitch raising and tuning and gluing and patching an old Palmer upright. It had a two piece long bridge - or rather it had a separate bridge for the treble/high-treble section, a separate long bridge for the tenor section, and a separate bass bridge (in the normal manner). The piano appeared to be of decent quality, so I figured it would have some kind of beefy support on the rear of the soundboard in the immediate area of the break in the long bridge - nadda - nothing at all back there but a typical rib configuration. Maybe the piano was not of all that good a quality - no cut-off bars either.

I guess that is another thing one can add to the list of "what are indicators of good piano quality": Better pianos will often have one cut-off bar (grands) or two cut-off bars (uprights). My 1912 Mason & Hamlin upright has two massive large-area cut-off bars. It also has a third low tenor bridge and accompanying independent massive pressure bar system for a few wound strings at the low end of the tenor section.

Terry Farrell