A rant on finger jointed soundboards

[Delwin D Fandrich]

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  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Jack Houweling=20
  To: Pianotech=20
  Sent: November 22, 2002 6:55 PM
  Subject: finger joint soundboard


     I recently tuned a new Kawai piano. When I observed the soundboard =
I saw finger joints. I was amazed at what I saw so I took a picture with =
my digital camera and now would like to show it. Does anyone know =
anything more about these soundboards?=20


                                                                      =
Jack

Ah, another not-so-new good idea.=20

I first encountered this feature -- that is butt jointed soundboard =
lumber -- in an obscure upright built around the turn of the last =
century. That is, the early 1900s.=20

The butt joint was not finger-jointed but was kind of a compound scarf =
joint. From all I could tell it worked extremely well. Not a single butt =
joint showed any sign at all of coming apart. I was not able to tell how =
well the soundboard worked acoustically since the piano was in the =
process of being broken apart when I encountered it (not due to any =
fault of the soundboard -- there were multiple other problems that =
precluded its economic resurrection.)

Most piano people, when shown a soundboard like this will throw up their =
hands in horror. I would suggest, however, that the world would be some =
better off if piano makers had followed the lead of that early and long =
forgotten piano maker who had the courage to try this construction a =
hundred years ago. As I drive just a few miles north of my home at the =
foot of the Olympic Peninsula and observe with a mix of dismay and =
horror the devastation of what was once the world's most spectacular old =
growth temperate rain forest I have to wonder if our obsession with =
'perfect' soundboard wood was worth all that destruction.=20

Oh, I know, there have been other reasons why these forests have been =
destroyed, but our industry has certainly played a role. We have =
demanded only the best. Lumber that is clear, totally free of even the =
slightest flaw, evenly grained, having absolutely uniform color, =
completely free of any grain flaw or distortion, etc. Can you imagine =
how much waste there has been in obtaining that lumber? Indeed, how much =
waste there is still in obtaining the lumber being used in pianos today? =
The devastation goes on.

And for what? In large part because our industry doesn't understand how =
soundboards really work and insists on building them in such a way that =
stresses the wood beyond its natural strength character. So it demands =
better and better wood in an attempt to make the perfect soundboard -- =
one that won't self-destruct under the obscene loads placed on it.

Hurray for Kawai! Go Man Go! Keep up the good work and don't let the =
turkeys get you down!

OK. I'll shut up now.

Del

PS.  Jack, I don't suppose you have a high-resolution version of that =
picture you could send to me? I'd love to add it to my collection. Do =
you have any other pictures of this soundboard?


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