On 1/5/2011 9:20 AM, David Love wrote: > Speaking of old Chickerings, here's one. I've included a picture of the > bridge configuration. One very like this resides in the parlor of a local convent. You can lean inside, look down, and see your feet through the cracks. They used to ask occasionally what it would cost to "get it working", but the answer always failed to meet the budget by a couple of orders of magnitude. So it sat, and poor Sister Theresa (I forget her name) played it anyway year after year. As Joe said, these aren't plentiful, but they aren't particularly historically relevant rarities either. As to what Chickering's intent was for sound production, serviceability, or anything else; that has been the mystery through what seems like hundreds of wild (some radical) design experiments through Chickering's history. The old man apparently never found what he was looking for, as the designs never stabilized. What a dream job though - build anything you'd like to try today, sell everything you make, and let the academics, engineers, and mechanics ponder it in perpetuity! In the room with the Chickering sits the most gorgeous table I've ever seen. It's Brazilian rosewood, with legs somewhat like those on the Chickering. Visually, the proportions are very pleasing and comfortable, to me at least. The top and "skirt" are just bulky enough to balance the legs, and the total effect is an unusual blend of delicate grace and power. It's a chopped square. Ron N
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