Life In 19x19

I'm curious as to what determines the quality of the 'clicking' sound when placing stones on a board. Anyone have any expert or experiential thoughts?

I have a Hyuga Kaya table board from KGT. On my board, there are areas, particularly in the center, where the sound and feel of stone placement is better. There are also some areas on the board where the sound is "dead" and the feeling is not very soft.

Cloud E Head wrote:I'm curious as to what determines the quality of the 'clicking' sound when placing stones on a board. Anyone have any expert or experiential thoughts?

I have a Hyuga Kaya table board from KGT. On my board, there are areas, particularly in the center, where the sound and feel of stone placement is better. There are also some areas on the board where the sound is "dead" and the feeling is not very soft.

I'm no expert, but: Is the board made of several pieces of wood (it probably is)? In that case the pieces themselves may have different acoustic characteristics. Also the joint probably makes a different sound.

Yes. It's a 3 piece board. The two end pieces seem to have a darker grain pattern than the center piece. Do you think that darker grain pattern = more muted sound and harder feel?

the following is just my own thoughts/ opinion. I'm not at all an expert when it comes to Go equipment.

I have a big, one piece, Japanese GoBan with legs. I find the sound when playing a stone on it rather dull.
I prefer my Home Made MDF boards when it comes to the sound. It's much clearer on those MDF boards.

the reason for this I think is the finish.

The big Japanese GoBan with legs has a soft wax finish.
The MDF boards I made have a really hard lacquer finish.

Cloud E Head wrote:o you think that darker grain pattern = more muted sound and harder feel?

It is probably the woods density that is causing the sound difference here.

Cloud E Head wrote:Yes. It's a 3 piece board. The two end pieces seem to have a darker grain pattern than the center piece. Do you think that darker grain pattern = more muted sound and harder feel?

I don't know how color correlates with sound, if at all. It just makes sense to me that different pieces of wood may have different sound, perhaps due to grain density or whatever factor.

Wood is a natural substance and is going to have irregularities. Even a very uniform one piece board will probably have some irregularity in density, color, etc. IMO, that's part of the aesthetic of using a natural product, as opposed to plastic, MDF, etc. Unless your board sounds like a Model M, it's probably fine.

In my experience the sound quality depends on many things. Species of wood, cut of the board (itame, masame, etc.) and thickness of board are all important. If the wood is too soft, like some species of pine or imagine a balsa wood board, the sound won't be good, more of a thud than a click. If the wood is too hard, like oak or hard maple, the sound will have too much of a metallic character, "clink". In the end it is a matter or taste, though. Thinner boards tend to make more of a clack than a click. Finally it is also a matter of technique in playing a stone. Using too much force spoils the click and dents the board as well. I think Fwiffo my have hit on what's going on with your board.

P.S. If the wood is too soft then a thick board will still not have a satisfactory click. Personally I think spruce boards don't have a good sound. Katsura and kaya boards' sound is mostly dependent on thickness. Of course ymmv.

fwiffo wrote:Wood is a natural substance and is going to have irregularities. Even a very uniform one piece board will probably have some irregularity in density, color, etc. IMO, that's part of the aesthetic of using a natural product, as opposed to plastic, MDF, etc. Unless your board sounds like a Model M, it's probably fine.

That makes sense. It isn't so much concern as it is curiousity.

By the way, I've found that the subtle beauty of Kaya is all but lost on my non Go playing friends. Even the ones that play a little don't appreciate it. Funny how we sometimes covet things that most can't even see.