Piano Bridge

The bridge transfers the sound from the strings to the soundboard. The placing of the bridge is vital. The very best quality pianos by makes such as Steinway and Bluthner consistently have an extraordinary rich tone which is even throughout. Makes such as Yamaha and many Chinese pianos can sound very thin and uneven, examples being the Yamaha U5 which was made between about 1995 and 2002 and often has a "boomy" tenor area. Many Chinese makes and Indonesian Yamahas have a very thin tone associated with a cheap soundboard and bridge.

The soundboard has a "crown" or high point in the mid treble and it's at this point where the bridge is positioned to give maximum distribution of sound. In the bass end the bridge on the top makes is often on a shelf that allows it to be nearer the middle of the soundboard.

The pressure on the soundboard is over 500 KG (over 1000 pounds) and cheaply make older pianos often suffer from a depressed crown. This can be identified by a thin tone in the mid treble.