Dear Maestro Paolo Ferrarelli, for all of us at PIANOEXPERT I wanted to ask you if it is true that the star-shaped metal structure equipped with specific adjustable tensioners with nuts and locknuts, applied to the inner strip of the wooden frame which serves as support for the gluing of the soundboard of MASON & HAMLIN pianos, is not also applied to all grand piano models from all manufacturing houses in the world; given that the "tension resonator" promises to maintain the optimal "load" of the soundboard for the entire lifespan of the piano?
Dear Saverio.. you are touching on a thorny subject. Even Steinway features "trifoni" (trifones), which are threaded rods topped with a bell-shaped locknut that allow for minimal movement of the frame (which is very elastic in the case of Steinway) to load the soundboard more or less. What happens when the soundboard is over-loaded? Well, let's just say that the sound is very compressed. The piano plays less, but it has a more manageable sound. Speaking in "big bucks"... (and here I ask forgiveness from scientists and mathematicians...) after the attack transient, the piano sound wave has a sudden drop and then rises again to "live" until extinction. Modern manufacturers, gradually, have somewhat exaggerated this load, this compressed sound; the sound is released very little... but it is more manageable!! Larger and more saturated hammers and a great "attack" with the possibility of pedaling more easily. In a hall, from a distance, the sound becomes more audible, passages of semichromes and bichromes of great virtuosity become clearer... the pianist can "rely" more easily on the instrument.
A completely different thing is a piano with a "romantic sound" like Blüthner or Bechstein (from a certain era): smaller and less hard hammers, less loaded soundboard, less sound decay, greater sustain.... but a less manageable sound. Here you have to pay more attention to pedaling, and it is advisable to release the damper a moment later, during the hammer's ascent.
Today, some distinguished technicians intervene on certain modern pianos from major brands, achieving excellent results, but it is subjective. A less loaded soundboard, undoubtedly, releases the sound better, especially if the instrument is old. I won't go into the details of the values, which must be measured "crudely" as opposed to more refined and "real" ways with a hundredths-place comparator.
