> In a bad piano, this board is cracked or the ribs have come unglued
> (sometimes very slightly, enough to slip in a metal spatula).
> A bad sound board means you don't want this player piano.

You could not be further from the truth ! !

Just about every piano has or will develop a crack in the sound board.
The severity of these determines whether a repair or replacement is
needed.  The quality of the piano will dictate this.  A board which is
loose from the rib is not even much of a problem unless it buzzes.  A
little glue, a little screw; or even a wedge until it's dry.  This is
why you need a competent piano tech to advise you.  A bad piano may be
one that needed a new pinblock.  Here again quality dictates your
course of action.  A Steinway XR needing a new pinblock, sound board,
etc...  is not an exercise in futility.   But on a P. A. Stark, it is!

Believe it or not, a crack in the board is only a cosmetic flaw.

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Jon Page¶
Cape Cod. Mass¶
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