<HTML><HEAD> <META charset=UTF-8 http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charse= t=utf-8"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2730.1700" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fffff= f"> <DIV> <DIV>      Robin</F= ONT></DIV> <DIV>      Excellent info. A= lso, the 6ft. 1905 AB Chase that we rebuilt this year had a bell as well. Th= e piano, built like a tank, had no claims to any thing concerning the bell. = If the bell is such an incredible tonal device certainly it would have had a= more noticeable effect on tone which to my ear does not. It also torque's t= he rim which could force the rasten/board joint to rotate out ward and there= by upwards also adds torque the board.</DIV> <DIV>  Dale</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue = 2px solid">Dale,<B= R>Not to make any new points as to what the tonebell nosebolt does, as I = have already done so, but a couple of interesting items.  Mehlin and<BR= >Sons uses the exact same nosebolt, or at least it appears so, in the cor= responding place on their larger grands and in the same manner.  The<BR= >plate, as others note, is substantially different than a that on a Stein= way suggesting some reason to question the observation that the bolt "mas= s-couples" the rim to the plate.  Were this the case one would think= that the difference in plate and rim of Steinway and Mehlin would sugges= t a different "mass-coupling".  Yet, the one seen in Mehlins are vir= tually identical to those of Steinway and, indeed, to my eye, appear to h= ave been produced by the same factory.  Incidentally, the larger, 6'= 4" Mehlin grand is, to my ear, another one of the number of great, unreco= gnized American pianos.  I have not seen the nosebolt of the smaller= c. 5 and 1/2 ft grand.      Haynes uses a metallic nosebo= lt not at all similar to those used on Steinway and Mehlin and attached p= assing similarly through the plate yet attached not to the rim but to the= bellyrail.   They use this even of their 5' 7" piano. &nbsp= ;    Finally, just yesterday I looked at an old Kimball  upri= ght which had a similar stiffener comprised of an, apparently cast, = metallic strip, perhaps   an inch or so wide and rather thick,=   and containing a patent number,  which extended on the back s= ide of the soundboard downward from an attachment into the back of the pi= ano where the soundboard is glued in.  I would hazard a guess that t= his pieces passes into the back here for a substantial distance.  It= extends about eight or so inches, according to a most cursory glance, do= wnward from its attachment into the back at the top of the board, and the= n supports a nut on a bolt which passes transversely to it into a hole an= d through the soundboard, and, presumably, into the plate.  .  = I didn't take the time to open the case and look at the fastening method = to the plate but assume it is similar to the bolt in the Steinway "bell".=   I will see the piano again in a few days and may have more observa= tions.  Were one to take the number and read the patent,  which= I can provide I would almost be willing to bet money that it will be see= n in the description that the device is simply to stabilize the plate, or= , perhaps, allow a slight adjustment to follow the moving board over time= , their claims being similar to Steinway in this regard.  No mention= will be found of "mass-coupling" the rim and plate.   I still = can't imagine these types of  nosebolts as having much effect on sus= tain unless they were  used to compensate for downbearing changes.&n= bsp; Were the plate set correctly, the bridge planed well, and the bearin= g acceptable, I don't believe it would make a significant difference. =      However, as has been discussed here in great detail, the= board in this area may subsequently move, perhaps significantly affectin= g downbearing.  These devices would then afford the technician the o= ption of carefully increasing the bearing locally while allowing avoidanc= e of the difficult, global approach of having to reset the plate or recap= the bridge.  Of course, this could be achieved in some systems, at = least for the rear bearing by changing the string rest or plate. Regar= ds, Robin Hufford</BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV></BODY></HT= ML>