From rockkey@sbcglobal.net Tue Dec 14 05:39:19 2010
Subject:Re: acoustic vrs. digital pianos OT!

I give my 2 cents here.

The iron plate in a piano along with the wood beams form the main structure. The strings, starting at the bottom or back on a grand, are attached to the plate with a hitch pin driven onto the plate. The string goes over the bridge and on the upper or near side of the plate, through an agrafe, under a capo bar etc. and finaly to the tuning pin.

The tuning pin is driven into a block, often made of Hardrock Maple. This is the pin block. It is attached to the plate from behind and is usually out of sight as it may appear that the tuning pins are fastened to the iron plate, where in reality, they only pass through a clearance hole in the plate and are secured into the pinblock below/behind.

Older pianos had the pinblock exposed. The "3/4 plate" or sometimes called "Victorian plate" alowed for this exposure of the pinblock surface.

Here's my answer. Yes, all modern pianos have one single iron plate. The tuning pin are however only indirectly connected to the plate since they are driven into the pinblock and in turn the pinblock is fastened to the plate.

No. The iron plate essentially supports the strings over the soundboard and the the plate and soundboard are both fastened to the rim around the perimiter. The downbearing of the strings on the bridge connected to the soundboard is essential to producing tone and volume but also responsible for any longterm negative affects this downbearing pressure may create on the bridge/soundboard. There's no way around that fact.

Cheers,
Rock