>I see your point. What do you consider plenty stiff? I've made them 30mm square with no problems. I don't really know what is plenty stiff, just that I don't want the bridge stiffness making the difference if I can help it. >Do you normally work >with >the existing string plane or do you change that to give you more or less bridge >height? Usually with the existing string height, or with only minor deviations. My rib scales tend to have more, and smaller ribs than are usually found in pianos of similar size, and my soundboard assemblies are usually stiffer than the original. I think this gives me closer control of stiffness in any given part of the board, and makes the stiffness of any one component less critical. For instance, My 30mm tall bridge might be too flexible in an assembly with 11 long ribs with no cutoff bar, but more than adequately stiff in an assembly with 16 shorter ribs and a good stout cutoff bar taking out about 20% of the active board. It's not any one thing, it's everything together. I don't pretend to know the exact contribution of the flexibility of any or all the given parts so I can predict what happens to the sound if the bridge is 2mm shorter. I'm going for the system that gives me the best predictability, with the greatest margin for error. Said system subject to ongoing evolution as I learn more about it, naturally. >>The KISS principal is gold in these situations. > >Sounds sensible, but at odds with my tendency to tinker. Oh you can still tinker, but it's nice to think you might have an idea of what you did right if something works. That's where simple helps tremendously. Make incremental changes and keep track. Ron N
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