Re: Bøsendorfers, was : Buttressed Arch. Question for Ron N. - increasing rim density

[A440A at aol.com]

Ric writes: 
<<  Given the Bosies solution, 

one would be tempted to consider that rock hard rims are not a 

neccessity for good tone at all.... >>

Greetings, 
     Maybe not neccessary for tone, but I don't think the difference is so 
much in the tone as the power.  Even going over 9 feet doesn't make an Imperial 
more powerful in the back of the hall than your average, run of the mill, 
Steinway D.  Most all the Bosendorfer pianos I have seen had tone out the whazoo, 
(for the non-native readers, whazoo is a technical term that means "a lot"), 
but there was a ceiling to their volume.  Players have mentioned that the 
European pianos like Bosendorfer, Bechstein, and Hamburg Steinways sound beautiful, 
but when played increasingly harder, reach a point of power saturation, after 
which nothing else happens.  In comparison, the New York D will usually 
continue to deliver more as long as it is played harder, regardless.  
     I think the maple contributes to this characteristic.  The Mason's, 
Chickerings (some), Baldwins and Steinways, as well as a slew of long-gone 
American brands, used maple and with good/new boards, most all these pianos will have 
unsurpassed power in comparison to their lighter wood-rim  counterparts. 
Regards, 



Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html