The Mason's original ribbing seemed a bit to heavy to my taste, especially in the treble. The reliefs were shorter than most pianos, and the tail thickness thicker. Before removing the strings, I noted that the piano had excessive down bearing over most of the board. This tells me that the board was overly stiff. I disagree with the concept that if a little bearing is good, a lot is better. Too muck down bearing on an over stiff board equals limited freedom of movement, thus limiting the sound. Others would argue that excessive bearing creates a bigger sound. That doesn't compute in my overall philosophy as to what makes a great sounding board. I believe a board needs to be in a state of equilibrium- meaning that down bearing and crown, as they oppose each other, are about equal and therefore the board is very free to vibrate. If one force overbears the other, the board is not in a state of equilibrium, and the sound will be diminished. Pictured is the rib work in process.
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