Soundboard Cracks Demystified
This is an example of a significant crack in the soundboard of a small baby grand piano. I am asked often about soundboard cracks, and often by people that have heard it's a "death sentence" for the piano, or that it means the piano "can't be tuned." Neither is necessarily true at all.
While soundboard cracks are obviously undesirable, and in some cases can cause serious problems, they are quite common in old pianos and they are usually repairable. Depending on the nature of the crack, it may not even need any immediate intervention, but simply analysis and monitoring. Soundboard cracks are generally most harmful when they cause the soundboard to separate from the ribs which stabilize the soundboard and give it the appropriate crown. (The ribs are approximately 1-inch wide tapered wood beams that can be seen running diagonally on the back of an upright, or underneath a grand.) In these cases, a repair is necessary to reattach to...