Soundboard crown, shims and finishing / John Broadwood restoration
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 เม.ย. 2022
- Grand piano Broadwood Restoration
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I have always found it interesting to look at historical instruments like this and see how far piano designs have come. I look at the board like this with the grain going across the bridge and that massive bridge. The sound loss due to grain orientation and bridge mass alone must be immense. But we were still learning back then. It is certainly interesting to see this piano come together and to look at the inner workings of a piece of history like this.
Broadwoods always put the soundboard grain across the bridges. They knew exactly what they were doing. There is better transmission across the compass and with the right ribs underneath less sound loss than conventional soundboards, but the crown is more vulnerable to poor climatic conditions.
@@prodiver7 I always understood it as using the location of the bridge to get a long path diagonally across the piano to ensure that the planks of wood are as long as possible giving better resonance. I mean across the grain does not transmit sound well and I get using the bridge to yield that transmission similar to a guitar or violin. But, I would think that once transfered to the board you are dealing with a smaller working area (on larger pianos) for the sound to work with. I mean the bridge will spread the vibrations across the grain, but given the shape of a grand piano, your boards will not travel the full length leading to a smaller effective size. Which is why a violin cello guitar and clavicle have the grain oriented so that instrument is longer with the grain than against it. I mean Mason did redesign the B to have a really good inharmonisity curve, but it still does not sound as good as a concert grand with a large board length. I mean the length of the boards seems to be 3 to 5 feet as opposed to 7 to 8 feet.
@@zackeryhardy9504 Soundboards with the grain across the bridge beneficially transmit its vibrations to the whole soundboard and across the compass faster and more efficiently. Just the right number and positioning of ribs underneath augment the bridge in transmitting vibrations across the planks without adding extra mass and stiffness. Control is better too, so that my magnificent Broadwood Barless grand needs no dumb corner to its soundboard, thereby allowing significantly greater power and duration for its size. Shorter planks may be more difficult to crown but can be thinner and more responsive. However as I said such soundboards seem more prone to losing their crown in adverse climatic conditions, which I'm sure is why most makers abandoned them. I suspect violins and guitars would be better for an equivalent approach, and with crowned flat boards rather than carved, but makers' lore means few will ever try it successfully.
@@prodiver7 I find that much of manufacturing is very lore based for sure. A am fortunate enough to work at a place that encourages discovery in this front. This conversation does bring fourth some interesting ideas. I might try and set something up on the small scale to try and measure the above discussed effects for compare. Thinking about it, I wonder if you can actually get better performance out of a vertical than a grand. I mean with a grand, you have the general shape of the rim to contend with meaning you can have short boards with the bridge oriented across the grain or long boards with the bridge more with the grain. But a vertical does not have that corner cut off by the rim which could allow you to setup a plate pattern to accommodate larger boards with you bridge oriented across the grain. Would be interesting to build a full piano that way to compare. If the small scale experiment works out.
@@zackeryhardy9504"I find that much of
manufacturing is very lore based for sure". May I ask what you meant. Do manufacturers first, somewhat according to their own intuition, choose technological solutions, and then look for justification in theory?
I've been following along your restoration of this piano. Imagine my surprise to find out that the piano was originally sold to someone in Edinburgh where I live and delivered to an address in Queen Street only a couple of miles from where I live. Fascinating. It's a small world.
I was only thinking a couple of days ago that it was a shame you hadn't uploaded any videos in a long time, and then this pops up in my subscription feed! Glad to see further work on this beautiful piano.
Thanks Chris, It definitely was a long wait and appreciate your following.
Unfortunately with the soundboard we had to wait for it to dry again.
I should have a follow up video in the next few weeks as I have done other work on it and just have to edit videos when I have some time for it… stay tuned 😉
Glad to finally be able to share this section of the restoration with you all…
That's so nice to see you again in action Tomy and watch the beautiful restoration process What a striking labour ! Absolutely gorgeous
Great to see you back after a year.
Just too good! The seam filling process is one I need to remember. It turned out perfect.
Always a joy. See you next time.
Thanks so much for your continued following… glad you enjoyed this video
I purchased the "Keyboard Stringing Guide". The content is great, although not everything is clear enough to understand right away. Thank you for the order. greetings from Warsaw👍
I'm reading "The Keyboard Stringing Guide" for the second time with lead in hand. I've been working with pianos for a long time, but it was this book that gave me an understanding of the balance between craftsmanship, physics and the audience's acoustic-musical aesthetics. I also found some things in it that I had no idea about. Many thanks for recommending the book.
I’m so glad the series has continued! I only just noticed today, so I’ve got some catch up to do.
Great! I will have a look in the local hardware shop here where I live. Thank you for your answer!
Tomy, it’s good too see you back posting vids. It’s so funny I was watching a documentary last Sunday on restoring a Steinway piano after watching it I thought of you & wondered how your restoration was going. I cannot wait to hear this piano. Thanks again 👍👍🙏🎹🎼👨🏻🦯👨🏻🦯
Haha, you and my wife alike;)
Definitely don’t have as much time as before for YT but want to continue posting this restoration for sure..
So glad you are back with more updates! Keep up the good work!
Thanks, will do
Welcome back! Good to see you making videos again.
Thanks Donald! It’s good to be back:)
Great video, thank you! I am about to repair the soundboard of my Carl Mand grand piano from 1885. These clams pressing the shims down in the grooves looks handy. Where can I buy such clamps?
I bought all the needed hardware to make them from my local hardware store in the bolt and nuts isle
Hope this helps, best of luck with your restoration
Had you thought of using small dehumidifiers to reduce the %RH? 1 above the sound board and 1 below may have have helped. I use them in my small sheds where I keep tone wood for guitars. I have a Takamine acoustic guitar which i realised the soundboard had distorted at the bridge raising the strings about 1/8”. I removed the strings and took it to my shed for repair(a carbon fibre rod and contraption under the bridge) This was two years ago and still haven’t got around to doing, however when I checked it recently the soundboard is perfectly flat again! I’m putting it down to either the fairies which live in the shed or the dehumidifiers 🤔
I bet the fairies put the dehumidifier on😉 it’s been a long year but happy to have the soundboard done. Editing the bridge video atm.. Should be out soon.
Thanks for your following 👍
Excellent video. I’m about to do this on my 1912 Blüthner. Can you tell me what you are using to varnish / finish the soundboard with? This seems to be a contentious point on the piano restoration forums!
Thanks Timothy, I have use shellac to finish the soundboard. That’s what was on it so I kept it the same. Will you document/ video of your Blüthner?
@@HovingtonInstruments cheers. I mean I could do, not sure if there’d be much interest for it!!
Did this affect the sound very much?
Hopefully so, hard to say for sure at this point,.. cannot see it getting worse after all that gunk was removed and positive soundboard crown.
The soundboard varnish was probably shellac. I’ve seen at least one technician scrape it off, dissolve the scrapings in alcohol and re apply it.