I should add that I have been party to a number of redesigns using RC&S methods with different variations in terms of rib layout, cutoffs, bridge configurations. From my perspective, I can't see doing it any other way in terms of the consistency of the outcomes. That isn't to say that there aren't still areas to explore within these designs to try and get just exactly the type of tone you want. The nice thing about doing it this way, however, is that it seems you have a much better chance of understanding how a design element might impact the tone when you can eliminate the variability of the crowing method itself. In the end, of course, it's still wood and you certainly can't eliminate all variability. You can only hope to reduce it as much as possible. We all have a mental picture of a certain type of tone that we think is the ideal. Whether that memory is based on anything real or not is another matter. Whether or not our conception of ideal tone is even something achievable without the enhancement of modern recording techniques is yet another matter. The other complicating factor is that our ideal changes and sometimes it changes from piano to piano as we listen and work on them to bring out the best from each. Unfortunately, there's no precise language to describe the subtlety of piano tone. I myself have tried to express some of these rather esoteric ideas on the list and other places without much success. Until there is, we're all just hunting and pecking, but it's not all in the dark. David Love davidlovepianos@comcast.net -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ric Brekne Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2006 9:04 AM To: pianotech Subject: Dear Mr. Nossaman.....( Was, "Why wide, flat ribs.....? ) An excellent commentary David. Here Here !! Cheers RicB David Love writes: It's unfortunate that this conversation often turns into an us against them discussion. I think it's important to understand how this all came about and why. Everyone wants to build a soundboard that produces good, reliable tone and in a predictable way. If you are a large company that builds, say, 3000 pianos a year, don't want to change the way you've done things for 150 years, and can afford to have so many less than stellar outcomes because of clever "personality" marketing, or an otherwise solid reputation, you may not have to worry about it. But if you are a small rebuilder doing 10 - 20 pianos a year, you don't have that luxury. Each piano means a lot more and less than stellar outcomes or even unpredictable results don't help your cause. I don't guess that for these smaller rebuilders originally doing CC boards that all of them came out poorly, I know that some of them did come out well, and some not so well. I gather, from my discussions, that it was the high percentage of poor outcomes that drove them to look for a more reliable method. They are sharing what they've found and the research is ongoing. Everyone has the choice of building a board however they like. Rather than speculate about this or that, the best thing to do is either build one, or have someone build one or several for you and then decide. Most of the discussion back and forth comes from people who haven't heard an RC&S board. It makes the speculations about what works and what doesn't fairly meaningless. David Love _______________________________________________ Pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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