Many people do it and the practice has been Steinways for some time. I'm curious about when Steinway actually started the practice and since I haven't taken out many Steinway soundboards that are newer I'm curious what their current practice is and whether other makers historically have employed this practice. I always thin the boards I do in the bass section graduating down to about 5 mm by the time one gets to the edge. But farther up on the bent side and in the treble I don't, neither at the belly rail. While I understand the idea of creating greater flexibility in the bass section for those low frequencies I'm wondering what the reasoning would be for thinning higher up in the scale. Also, if one is installing a cut-off bar, as I do, then were you to thin the perimeter it presents some questions about how to treat the cutoff area in the case where, as I tend to do, not cut the panel there but leave it whole. Early Steinway pianos that I have taken apart don't seem to be thinned in that area and the thinning in the bass section is less pronounced. David Love www.davidlovepianos.com -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of V T Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2009 9:17 PM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: [pianotech] Diaphragmizing Hi David, Darrell Fandrich used to do that on some of his pianos. Perhaps, he would share some of his experience and knowledge. Vladan >Can anyone speak to the history, philosophy, current practice and general >effect in different parts of the piano of thinning soundboards around the >edges also known as diaphragmizing? > >David Love
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