Filling the crack with material that doesnt expand and contract like wood will generate a new crack right along side the repair. Meanwhile the customer is out the money and the soundboard is still compromised. Graymarket pianos and cracked soundboards pianobuyer. So youve noticed the soundboard of your piano has a crack. One method for repairing cracks in a soundboard requires inserting a shim of wood into the cracked.
While soundboard cracks are obviously undesirable, and in some cases can cause serious problems. Frequently asked questions about piano tuning, piano care, pitch raises, soundboard issues, minnesota climate. A crack is only going to get bigger and will affect the tone and overall sound of the instrument. As discussed in the article below, a crack in a soundboard is not detrimental to tone and is more cosmetic than anything. While a crack in a violin body is a very serious matter, a crack in a pianos soundboard can be repaired easily, without losing any of the pianos tone quality. Soundboards vary in size depending on how large the piano is. Typically soundboards are shimmed using spruce wedges from the top stringside. Sometimes, a piano can function normally even with a cracked soundboard.
In fact many, if not most, pianos will eventually develop some cracking in their soundboards. The heart and soul of your piano is its soundboard. The crown of the soundboard helps in creating resonance and good tone. Whether you have a grand piano or an upright piano, fixing cracks is one of the most common soundboard repairs. Some piano owners have been dismayed to learn from their piano technician that their piano has a crack in the soundboard. The sound board is a five eighths inch thick wooden board in the back of the piano. A lot of technicians would have opted to repair the crack.
That is why this function of restoration is done during a rebuild. If you crack open the lid of either your grand or upright piano and look down, you will see a shiny piece of wood behind the iron plate that runs the entire area of the bottom or back of the instrument. Cracked soundboards piano tuning in edmonton daniels piano. While this may sound disconcerting, it does not automatically mean that the piano has to be rebuilt or replaced. The soundboard, which is the large wooden board you can see from the back of an upright piano or from underneath a grand, has ribs glued on it to strengthen it. A family friend has had one stored in his shop for about 4 years untouched and decided to ask. Epoxy soundboard crack repair pianotech piano technicians guild.
The effect is to widen the crack as far as acoustics are concerned. Graymarket pianos and cracked soundboards myth and reality. He used a router to cut out the length of the crack before filling it in. If the cracks have been filled with wooden shims, this means that, at some point, the piano was rebuilt and the cracks repaired.
Oct 14, 2011 i have wanted a grand piano for as long as i can remember. Feb 07, 2012 so youve noticed the soundboard of your piano has a crackor perhaps many cracks. Once they had a design the market accepted good or bad they just stayed with it. Perhaps it looks less like a smooth, machined piece of carpentry and more like a freight pallet. Most pianos on the east coast have cracked soundboards.
All who heard the piano gave kind comments on the sound, so it worked. All stringed instruments have some type of soundboard most are built directly into the body of the instrument, such as the violin or the harp. Oct 25, 2018 the alternate absorption and evaporation of moisture affects the soundboard, and therefore the tone of the piano, to a far greater degree than any crack or accumulation of cracks, yet few persons complain of this or even appear to notice it. Fixing cracks in your soundboard whether you have a grand piano or an upright piano, fixing cracks is one of the most common soundboard repairs. When a piano develops cracks from old age, the cracks can cause buzzes. I havent had any issues with cracking at the repair site. Like the top of a stradivarius violin, the soundboard is the wood beneath all the strings and plate of the piano which gives it its unique quality of sound. Perhaps it looks less like a smooth, machined piece of. Click on icon next to each track or the full board button to add to your cart per track. When a crack develops, the spruce of the sound board warps and pulls away from the cross ribs. But before we go any further we must be sure we all know where and what is a soundboard and why it cracks. In short, the climate in turkey is not kind to soundboards for the long term exposure pianos typically take.
The case against repairing piano soundboard cracks part 1. Cracks in the soundboard are common in older pianos and can cause buzzing, loss of volume, and poor sustain. Smaller cracks may not impact your pianos sound enough to warrant repair. When the strings are struck by the hammers, the soundboard takes the vibrations from the strings and amplifies them in order to project the sound outward. During restauration, they dried the piano down to 20 percent humidity, so that even some more cracks occured during that.
It really only needs to be done if the crack is large wide and long enough to cause the soundboard to buzz or if if the sound of the instrument is adversely affected by the crack. The soundboard is a large, thin wooden plate which acts as an amplifier of the sound produced by the vibrating strings its purpose is to radiate a large volume of sound over a wide frequency range. Soundboard cracks pianotech piano technicians guild. If there is a distinct buzz when notes are struck quite firmly, this can also be an indication of a cracked soundboard. Years of vibration and climate changes can cause the soundboard s pieces to split at the seams. A piano with a cracked soundboard should be carefully checked for rib separations before purchase. Contrary to what the name implies, it is not one board, but several planked together, much like a hardwood floor.
A pianos soundboard is one of the most important pieces on a piano. The soundboard is what allows the piano to project its sound. Because the distance strings to soundboard and the tension inside the soundboard is of importance. For this reason, a crack in the soundboard reduces the soundboards ability to amplify the vibrations of the strings only in relation to how much of the surface area the crack reduces the vibrating area of the board. The crack is prepared with a shimming knife cuts a uniform v groove and the glued wedge shim is driven into the crack. Soundboard cracks demystified south jersey piano service. May 09, 2019 how to fix a soundboard crack on a grand piano. Repairing or replacing a pianos soundboard bradfield piano. This can allow the soundboard to rattle against the loose rib as it vibrates. I cant count the number of times someone has said to me. Oct 25, 2018 the ribs run perpendicular to the grain of the soundboard, and therefore perpendicular to any cracks.
For this reason, a crack in the soundboard reduces the soundboard s ability to amplify the vibrations of the strings only in relation to how much of the surface area the crack reduces the vibrating area of the board. After decades of constant pressure from the strings and varying environmental conditions, the soundboard inside of a steinway piano can crack, become loose from the supporting ribs and it may lose its crown. It takes little effort to convince the average person that a crack in the soundboard means an instrument is ruined and worthless so this particular tactic has been immensely successful in selling new pianos. After decades of constant pressure from the strings and. Nov 30, 2009 a solid soundboard is commonly used in piano soundboard construction. After that they filled the cracks, and put the soundboard back to convex shape. I dont think my piano is worth anythingthe soundboard is cracked. The one problem that could arise would be if the soundboard were to detach from the ribs at the site of the crack.
When a soundboard cracks, the most effective repair involves cutting out the crack and planking in a fresh piece of spruce. Unless you hear strange noises, you might not need to repair a cracked soundboard. In this video, i show the glue joint between the soundboard and rim. Any separation of a rib from the soundboard at a crack is a potential source of buzzing noises. From memory, the glue saturated wood doesnt move the. The fact of the matter is that pianos are sensitive to changes in the climate and in the room conditions. How to fix a soundboard crack on a grand piano brigham. Usually the piano involved is older than your g2, and ribs have separated from the soundboard adjacent to the crack these must be reglued. A crack usually does not affect the pianos ability to hold a tuning, and it will not decrease the soundboards ability to amplify sound. Piano soundboards are comprised of a number of thin boards about 38 thick glued edge to edge and supported by ribs. Shimming produces a crack between the shim and the soundboard right at the glue line. Ive never done this repair on its own its always been part of a restringing. Shimming a soundboard is a fairly easy task for a rebuilder. There are certain things you should know about soundboards.
What is a sound board how to check your piano sound board. What is a sound board how to check your piano sound. In this case, consult with a professional piano technician. For this very reason a crack or check in a soundboard reduces the soundboards ability to amplify the vibrations of the strings only to the extent to which the crack. Then he will take a specially shaped chisel and widen the crack so that a wooden shim can be inserted into the widened area. An analysis of over 500 soundboards shows, massed produced piano makers didnt take the extra time needed to refine the compression soundboard to maximize its performance. This is an example of a significant crack in the soundboard of a small baby grand piano. So youve noticed the soundboard of your piano has a crack or perhaps many cracks.
Do cracks in a pianos soundboard mean the end of its life. Maintaining proper humidity during the winter heating season helps to prevent cracks from occurring. Soundboard repair oxford piano service piano tuning. The sides of the crack are touching or almost touching, but are displaced vertically about an eight of an inch. Repair cracked soundboard piano moving, tuning and repair. It seems to hold pitch fine and actually sounds pretty good. On the back of it, it has one inch ribs which stabilize it by running against the grain of the sound board. Depending on where the crack is, the piano technician will usually have to loosen the tension on the strings directly over the crack to access the affected soundboard area. The alternate absorption and evaporation of moisture affects the soundboard, and therefore the tone of the piano, to a far greater degree than any crack or accumulation of cracks, yet few persons complain of this or even appear to notice it.
Usually, cracks in a pianos soundboard does not mean the end of its life. The soundboard helps to define the voice of each individual piano. When we are rebuilding a piano, often we can retain the original factory soundboard. Also, the crack is much bigger than it would appear. Piano technician bryce mckay recently fixed a crack in the soundboard of a grand piano we are restoring. The only thing that i am bothered by are the 3 or 4 cracks in the soundboard. When choosing whether to repair or replace your soundboard, its important to consider the level of damage. When purchasing a piano check as much of the soundboard as you can see carefully for cracks. Sometimes when the soundboard gets cracks in it, the ribs come unglued from it in places.
The soundboard has a crown which is a curvature similar to a violin. If there is something wrong here, that has a much more influence on the sound. In europe if you replace the soundboard on a piano you are legally not allowed to put the name of the original manufacturer on the instrument. However, if this type of soundboard is not made properly, is exposed to dry climates for long periods of time, or not cured properly, it can and will receive cracks which in many cases are difficult and costly to repair.
Jul 12, 20 this is another great myth of the piano. I am asked often about soundboard cracks, and often by people that have heard its a death sentence for the piano, or that it means the piano cant be tuned. Dec 21, 2012 as a piano ages, its soundboard dries out and often develops small cracks along the lines of the wood grain. For this reason, a crack in the soundboard reduces the soundboards ability to amplify the vibrations of the strings only in relation to how much. Piano soundboards chernobieff piano restorations home. These cracks cause buzzing and lack of power in the instrument. Brigham larson, registered piano technician, dispels the myth that a broken soundboard always means a piano is no longer playable.