Bridges

...rich, singing tone...     

Look inside your Rawlins & Co. grand piano and you will see an additional bridge design that assures sweet singing tone. By slotting the bride apron, much like the violin-bridge discussed earlier, string vibrations can be better amplified for rich singing tone at piano (soft) or forte (loud) and every tonal gradation in between.

Utilizing intelligent bridge placement Rawlins & Co. grand and vertical pianos achieve maximum string length and still affix the bass bridge toward the center, sweet part of the soundboard. A cantilever apron glued to the bottom of the bridge then becomes affixed closer to the center of the board.  

The builder wants to achieve maximum length of bass and tenor strings. The bass bridge must be placed at the far end of the soundboard. This placement lies near the piano rim also called the dead part of the board.

Treble bridges will be placed in the center, sweet part of the soundboard. By feathering the lowest part of this bridge it can be fitted under the plate resulting in even tone quality at the break (the crossover from tenor strings to treble).

Now consider the similarities between the violin and the piano. Instead of four strings, every Rawlins & Co. piano has two-hundred, twenty-three strings. Look inside the piano and you will see two bridges. The shorter treble strings will be strung across the longer treble bridge. Wound bass and tenor strings will be strung across the shorter bass bridge.

In your minds eye, picture a violin. Four strings fastened to the tail (the bottom of the violin) cross over a bridge and fasten to the tuning pegs at the top. When a string becomes excited (with the bow or by plucking) it vibrates. The spruce top of the violin receives the vibrations from the bridge. Singing tone results.

Design That Assures Sweet Singing Tone...

Bridges