Cracked soundboard on a new piano in store. What does it mean?

[jplhpo]

Hi,

I'm looking to buy a new piano. I found one that was particularly interesting regarding my needs and my budget (Seiler ED-132), I tried it and was pretty satisfied but not sure enough. 3 days later, I went back to the store to retry it and then I realized that the soundboard was cracked in 2 places (this is a new piano!). The seller told me he has to command another one from the Samick warehouse.

Does someone have ever experienced something like this before? Does the seller tried to scam me (piano was prepped by one of his technicians after all)? Is it suppose to tell me something about general quality of this brand?

Thanks.

[silverwoodpianos]

Most likely that instrument is a demonstrator only.

Then if one of those models sells a new instrument comes from the warehouse. Most retail stores have demonstration models that are sold at a later date for a reduced price.

[faulty_damper]

It strongly indicates that the wood was not seasoned as a way of reducing manufacturing cost.  It also indicates that the humidity at the store's location is very dry.

[silverwoodpianos]

Dryness can cause wood deterioration; this is one way that sounding boards will become damaged.

Excessive moisture will cause sounding board materials to expand. In a compression built sounding board there is nowhere for it to expand. The edges are trapped by the rim of the case and the strings trap the expansion from crowning the board.

The expansion is trapped but still continues unless the relative humidity is changed.  The fibers of the board crush against each other causing failure of the cells and the board will split as it has nowhere to expand.

This could have happened after the instrument left the factory, sat in the warehouse and picked up too much RH….

A couple of years back a colleague and I got together and did some humidity experiments. Because these were my colleague’s materials and his idea for a photo album topic I have changed the watermark on the photos to reflect that.

For a Picasa web album left click on this link and then go forward or back using the arrows underneath each frame. There is text to read in the tray on the right side of each photo.

Happy viewing, here is the link. Considerable movement of the board is observed over short periods of time.

https://plus.google.com/photos/107990527405079149600/albums/5556140730347277377/5556140749813904882?banner=pwa&partnerid=pwrd1&pid=5556140749813904882&oid=107990527405079149600

[jplhpo]

Thanks for the replies (very interesting picasa album), these pianos are made in Indonesia (85°F)  and I live in Montreal (5°F). Maybe transportation caused that, not seasoning the wood as a way to reduce manufactoring cost wouldn't suprise me neither.

[hfmadopter]

Thanks for the replies (very interesting picasa album), these pianos are made in Indonesia (85°F)  and I live in Montreal (5°F). Maybe transportation caused that, not seasoning the wood as a way to reduce manufactoring cost wouldn't suprise me neither.

The result is as expected when changing climates like that and especially so if the store isn't climate controlled.

[faulty_damper]

Thanks for the replies (very interesting picasa album), these pianos are made in Indonesia (85°F)  and I live in Montreal (5°F). Maybe transportation caused that, not seasoning the wood as a way to reduce manufactoring cost wouldn't suprise me neither.

That's a huge difference in temperature and thus humidity.  So it's quite dry up in Canada which may be why the soundboard cracked.  This is why I'm all for carbon fiber soundboards and ribs.  This material barely swells and contracts when the moisture fluctuates.  Uber expensive, though.

[silverwoodpianos]

The result is as expected when changing climates like that and especially so if the store isn't climate controlled.

This is correct and all that can be determined. Whether it was too dry or too wet is not the problem; that would be the cause. The results are the lack of climate control.