Bluthner soundboard

[Erwinspiano@AOL.COM]

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In a message dated 3/17/2002 10:34:28 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
mstory@ewu.edu writes:

             I too am rebuilding my first one of these. 1905 6 ft. 3"It has 
screws through each rib as well and if it didn't they would have parted 
company with the panel long ago. J.D has a great deal of exper. with these 
and he says the glue maker wasn't any good.
  Interesting thing about this piano . It's board design is remarkably the 
same as the model that Del posted a month or so ago and the types of re- 
designs discussed frequently on the list. I'm having fun with this one. It 
already has some rib fanning which has allowed some redesign ( more fanning 
and an extra rib in order to float the bass end of the board. Interesting but 
odd grain orientations which I changed to get more long grain in front of the 
top trebles an such for stiffness.  Lumpy string scale now recaled & Horrible 
bass string design now changed as well.
      J.D says none of them sound like Bluethners any way!! so why not. 
Sounds like they were having an identity crisis.
 >>>>>>>>>>>>>Dale Erwin>>>>>>>>>> 

> 
> 
> I rebuilt one of these about 12 years ago. It's now in the Washington State
> capital building. I agree that the screws in the board are probably the
> source of the confusion. This piano seems to match in every other way the
> eBay piano. The board was flat; no tone; the pinblock was too bad. I think
> it was about the same age too. Doesn't have the "patent" action, but the
> strings were awfully high with respect to the keybed and hf center. This
> wasn't a real antique restoration, so I replaced the soundboard with a 
> Posey
> panel without screwing the board to the ribs. I figured with new adhesives
> and not a tropical climate, it would be a shame to drill all those extra
> holes in the sb and ribs, and load it down with a bunch of screws.
> 
> Mark
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf
> Of Brian Trout
> Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 2:31 PM
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: Bluthner soundboard
> 
> 
> Hi Ron,
> 
> Are you sure you saw what you think you saw??
> 
> I have seen at least one original Bluthner
> soundboard with screws down through the
> soundboard into each rib.  It might give the
> appearance of a soundboard installed on top of
> the old one.  Really, I don't think that the
> screws, in and of themselves, would necessarily
> be destructive to piano tone.  (Ugly, yes...) I
> wouldn't like the fact that it would somewhat
> weaken the load carrying capacity of the ribs,
> though.  But many people put a dowel right up
> through the center of a load bearing rib, through
> the soundboard and into the bridge(s).  I don't
> like that either, but many people do it.  (I
> don't.)
> 
> As far as weak tone, it may well need a new
> soundboard.  I would suspect it would regardless
> of the screws.  Much could be action related too.
> 
> There are quite a number of factors that might be
> there that you also haven't mentioned.  You do
> say that the action is way out of regulation.  Is
> this one of the "Bluthner Patent" actions?  If it
> is, it is radically different than a standard
> grand piano action and it would regulate much
> differently.  It would also play differently.
> But as Newton Hunt once told me, DON'T RUIN IT!!!
> Yes, they are different, but when they are
> rebuilt / refurbished, and PROPERLY regulated,
> they have a wonderful touch and feel that you
> won't find on modern pianos.  It doesn't repeat
> as quickly, but it plays so very smooooooooth.
> 
> (I am assuming that this isn't one with the
> fourth string on each of the long bridge unisons.
> You would no doubt have mentioned it.  I haven't
> seen one of those yet, but hope to someday.)
> 
> If you hear and learn more about this piano,
> please pass it along to the list.  I'm sure there
> are quite a few who would be interested.
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> Brian T.
> 


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