The Steinway & Sons New York Factory

Gluing Ribs to the Soundboard

The soundboard is, of course, a vital part of the piano as it is the transducer of the sound. From the beginning, piano makers in Europe and the United States hRim-bending and Cabinet Clampingave sought out the heartwood of old growth Sitka Spruce for making the highest quality, best sounding soundboards.

The reason for seeking out old growth timber is because of the likelihood of large, workable areas of evenly grown, knot free heartwood. In the left photo a worker uses a pre-calibrated machine to glue ribs onto the soundboard.

Steinway made innovations to their soundboards --named the Diaphragmatic® Soundboard -- which help produce exceptional sound quality.


 

 

 

Next >>Next: Preparing the Soundboard: Each New Piece Needs to Cure.

Text and Photography Sources

Photographs by Robert Callaghan, RPT

Barron, James. Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand. New York, Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2006.

Closson, Ernest. History of the Piano. New York, St. Martin's Press, 1944.

Fletcher, Neville H. and Thomas D Rossing. The Physics of Musical Instruments. New York,Springer, 1998.

Loesser, Arthur. Men, Women and Pianos, A Social History. New York, Dover Publications, Inc., 1954.