[pianotech] Thubby Chipboard, was: Flagpoling

[Euphonious Thumpe]

Ron,
     If not the MDF, then what aspect of this piano's construction is it that caused me to wonder "Gee, this thing sounds like it's made out of chipboard?" and then examine it until I found out that it, in fact, was???*
     These composites are relatively acoustically "dead" (will not support specific frequencies due to sympathetic vibration -- you could not make satisfactory xylophone bars out of them, for example) and that may indeed be a "plus" to some manufacturers. (Especially speaker cabinet makers!)  But to infer that the case materials of a piano have no influence on its tone makes no sense to me, whatsoever; and to test this apparent disparity in our opinions, I suggest that you -quite simply- take your very finest grand, analyze its tonal spectrum electronically, and then spray it all over with rubberized auto body undercoating (or spray-on bedliner) and then test again. 
Ten bucks says that the analyzer will show a difference; and that a half-dozen, randomly chosen, totally neutral and blindfolded musicians and piano tuners will be able to hear one, too.

     As an alternative, a general sense of the effect of core materials on tone should be able to be garnererd by simply tapping the cases of 2 pianos of similar scale as far as possible from the soundboard (such as below the keyslip): one with a hardwood core, one with MDF. While pressing the sustain pedal to hear how readily the very slight vibrations are transferred to the board and transduced into humanly audible sound. Again: ten bucks says that the piano with the hardwood core will transfer them more readily.

Thumpe

*I am not alone in this experience. I have a tuner friend who discovered it, himself, independently.
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