I'm not the authority on this stuff, so let's wait to hear from someone much more qualified that I to answer, but I should think that ribs are spaced closely enough (or should be - at least in a well-designed piano) so that there is at most insignificant bowing of the bridge between ribs. A nice hard maple bridge is pretty darn hard to bend - so I suspect that support is pretty consistent between ribs and at the ribs. Figure there is less than 100 lbs. downbearing pressure between any two ribs (way less I suppose) - 100 lbs. (220 kg) applied to the center (of course on the bridge, the load is actually spread out) of a six-inch span (15 cm) of 33 mm square hard maple - I can't imagine that bending at all. I think often the number of ribs is dictated by the number and location of nose-bolts! Terry Farrell ----- Original Message ----- SNIP > Right under a rib I suppose the support is strongest... and gets a bit > weaker as you move away from the rib. How do you figure the distance > needed between two ribs then ? > > Thanks > RicB
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