While in piano tech school in the late 1970’s I was introduced to piano bridge construction, only somewhat. It wasn’t until after graduation I had opportunities to observe how they are built in various factories in the US and Germany. I quickly gained interest in the mechanical challenge of making piano bridges. I am one of only a few craftsmen in the US proficient in carving bridges. A distinction I am proud of.A piano bridge is a highly critical component within the sound production chain of the instrument. Its condition and placement are of utmost importance to tone, intonation, and timbre of each piano. It is responsible for transmission of the longitudinal sound wave of the string into the sound board. As well, it establishes the speaking length (portion of string that creates the frequency of each note). In a piano this is in set position, unlike fretted and unfretted instruments where the note is established by the player according to fingering on the neck.Note frequency is created by three factors: 1) the length of the speaking portion of the string 2) the diameter or weight of the string 3) the tension of the string. In pianos the first two are fixed while the third is set by the tuner. The player has no way to manipulate or alter this.As pianos age the bridges and bridge pins wear and fail. This negatively affects tone quality. Bridge duplication is a critical aspect of piano rebuilding.The pictures are of new strings being strung over new bridges. Once the instrument is strung new damper felts will be installed completing the “super-structure” restoration. Then on to action rebuilding. I’ll be sure to post pictures of this too. Thanks for your interest!