>The soundboard >itself has absolutely no possibiliy to add any partials to the strings >spectrum (except the short shock spectrum caused by the hammer impact) and >acts only as an amplifier and filter. But the oscillator is the string. No one said the soundboard adds partials that the string scale and hammer combination don't generate. It does, however, FILTER (and therefor limit) what the string scale and hammer combination potentially generate, and so sets the upper limit of what the string scale and hammer combination can produce in perceived tone qualities. Magic scaling, miraculous hammers, and walk on water voicing techniques will still sound relatively crappy on a crappy soundboard design. The best Shinola in the world won't significantly enhance the luster of low grade fecal material - marketing aside. The string scale is, granted, the basis of the system. The soundboard should ideally be, though seldom is, designed to accommodate the string scale, with consideration given to the type of hammer that is expected to be used with the system. Each component of string scale, soundboard design, and hammer choice has meaning in the finished product, and the hammer is the very last consideration in the mix, since it is going to be able to deliver no more than the string scale and soundboard combination have to give, at the very best. But that's just the opinion of a guy who designs string scales and the soundboards to go with them. Ron N
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