What I learned from smashing up a Packard today.

[gordon stelter]

   Had to smash up a 1920's Packard upright, today,
one of the best-playing, best sounding pianos I've
ever seen. I felt bad about it, but it was in the way
and had terrible case and bridge damage due to some
moron parking it beneath a dripping/spraying air
conditioner.  Still, the sound was magnificent.
    That it did not die in vain, I relate the
following:
    It had a heavy pressure bar. The plate was almost
like steel. Members that would have broken with a claw
hammer on most pianos took 10 whacks with a  full
sized sledge before they split ( Ugh! ) The back posts
and blocks were all of 5, 3/4" plys of mahogany and
rock maple. The soundboard was 3/8" thick at the 
upper edge, and 5/16" thick at the lower edge, of
wonderfully straight, tight-grain spruce with about 40
lines per inch. It had a  dozen ribs that were very
stout: the largest being 1-1/4" wide and 7/8" thick.
These also appeared to be radially cut, so the belly
was very solid, with both rib and compression
crowning, as far as I could tell.
    The treble bridge had a vertically laminated root
and was doweled into the board every 4 inches.
    The bass bridge was stright, on a small shelf.
    They keys were very short, to minimalize inertia.
The piano was very wide and 52" tall, to allow shorter
action parts for better response, while maintaining
board size and string length.
    Considering the amount of water that obviously had
sprayed on to it, most pianos would have been
completely destroyed. But this one sounded and played
wonderfully, to my amazement. 
   Peace,
   G

P.S. Oh yes! It also said "Founded 1871",  so my guess
is that the Packard family learned it's stuff making
pianos before it started making automobiles.




		
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