<HTML>From what I can make out of Over's picture, it looks to be a cut out no wider than the thickness of a saw blade.  It is hard to see, but it appears that there is soundboard material on the rim side of the cut.  Am I seeing this correctly? Del, Am I correct in assuming the reinforcing braces are under the soundboard and on the soundboard side of the cut?  How large of an area do you remove?  Are the braces anyway attached to the rim, ribs, or ...?  Are you saying the ribs are a key limiting factor in the size of the cut? Years ago I rebuild a very small grand, (whose name escapes me) which had a rather sizable area removed directly behind the bass bridge.  The area being probably about 15 square inches.  Incidentally the plain of the soundboard sloped down toward the bass about 2 inches from the belly rail.  I had never seen such a set up, nor have I since. Andrew Remillard</HTML>