[pianotech] YC Capo Bars

[Roger Gable]

Ron,
Yes, you're correct to pick up my association of bad sound to lousy pianos. 
Let's digress a little. Why do some manufacturers laminate and others not. 
Lamination provides for a better string termination because of the grain 
orientation and is, by far, easier to manufacture, but why hasn't there been 
a ground swell toward the laminated bridge?
Roger Gable

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron Nossaman" <rnossaman at cox.net>
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2010 4:40 PM
Subject: Re: [pianotech] YC Capo Bars


> On 9/19/2010 6:11 PM, Roger Gable wrote:
>> Will,
>> I'll use another word(s), "nasal" or "tight". I've noticed that
>> laminated bridges create a sound associated with the facial expressions,
>> such as when you squint or grimace or even the tightening of the jaw.
>
> Roger,
> While I'm sure you've heard pianos with laminated bridges that sound 
> lousy, as have I, it wasn't the laminated bridge or bridge cap that did 
> it. Quite the contrary. A dense laminated cap makes for a better and 
> cleaner termination than solid beech or maple.
>
>
>> Another associated tag that might point in the right
>> direction is the sound we hear from low cost (cheap) imports in the 5
>> and 6 octave range -- an obvious impedance mismatch either from hammer
>> to string, or string to bridge.
>
> No, that's a soundboard problem, most readily apparent in compression 
> crowned soundboard assemblies. The board isn't stiff enough there. 
> Steinway is notorious for killer octave problems, without benefit of 
> either laminated bridge caps, or soundboard panels.
>
>
>>Remember the Kimball grands of the 70's
>> and 80's, how "pinched" they sounded.
>
> They did, but that wasn't the fault of the bridges. It was the fault of 
> the scale and soundboard design.
>
>
>>Can anybody help (rescue) me here.
>> My association of that similar sound comes from the cheap (low cost)
>> laminated boards on consoles made by Story and Clark.
>
> You're demonstrating more vividly with each sentence that it's the lousy 
> overall piano, and not the laminated bridge cap that is the problem.
>
> Ron N
>