Can you replace a piano soundboard?
The simple answer is yes. However, you have to consider a number of factors when answering this question. Replacing the soundboard requires removing the strings, the plate, and rebuilding the piano – which already costs thousands of dollars.
What are old piano soundboards made of?
Piano strings are made of steel. In contrast, the soundboard that translates their energy into a rich, resonant sound is made of wood.
What causes a piano soundboard to crack?
MYTH AND REALITY! Solid spruce soundboards swell and shrink with seasonal changes in humidity and, over time, can develop cracks. One of the problems that comes up most frequently in buying a used piano is judging the significance of a cracked soundboard.
Why is spruce used for soundboards?
Spruces are often used in the sound boards of instruments from the lute, violin, oud, mandolin, guitar, and harpsichord families; as well as the piano. Spruce is particularly suited for this use because of its high stiffness-to-weight ratio.
How long can piano soundboard last?
Pianos have a limited lifetime, usually measured in decades. However, different parts have different lifetimes: for example, on a heavily used but well-cared-for instrument (e.g. in a concert hall), the hammers might last less than five years while the soundboard might last fifty years and more.
Do old pianos sound better?
Are old pianos better than new ones? The answer is: it depends. Old pianos can continue to sound wonderful for many years with regular maintenance and care, but even pianos that have deteriorated can often be restored to their former glory, and in many cases made to sound even better than when they were new.
What kind of wood is a piano soundboard made of?
spruce
Choice of Wood The type of wood used is spruce – particularly Alaskan (Sitka) spruce. Spruce became the wood of choice for the construction of piano soundboards over 100 years ago and had been used for violins and harpsichords for centuries.