<HTML>In a message dated 3/17/2002 10:34:28 PM Pacific Standard Time, mstory@ewu.edu writes:              I too am rebuilding my first one of these. 1905 6 ft. 3"It has screws through each rib as well and if it didn't they would have parted company with the panel long ago. J.D has a great deal of exper. with these and he says the glue maker wasn't any good.   Interesting thing about this piano . It's board design is remarkably the same as the model that Del posted a month or so ago and the types of re- designs discussed frequently on the list. I'm having fun with this one. It already has some rib fanning which has allowed some redesign ( more fanning and an extra rib in order to float the bass end of the board. Interesting but odd grain orientations which I changed to get more long grain in front of the top trebles an such for stiffness.  Lumpy string scale now recaled & Horrible bass string design now changed as well.       J.D says none of them sound like Bluethners any way!! so why not. Sounds like they were having an identity crisis. >>>>>>>>>>>>>Dale Erwin>>>>>>>>>> <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> I rebuilt one of these about 12 years ago. It's now in the Washington State capital building. I agree that the screws in the board are probably the source of the confusion. This piano seems to match in every other way the eBay piano. The board was flat; no tone; the pinblock was too bad. I think it was about the same age too. Doesn't have the "patent" action, but the strings were awfully high with respect to the keybed and hf center. This wasn't a real antique restoration, so I replaced the soundboard with a Posey panel without screwing the board to the ribs. I figured with new adhesives and not a tropical climate, it would be a shame to drill all those extra holes in the sb and ribs, and load it down with a bunch of screws. Mark -----Original Message----- From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf Of Brian Trout Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 2:31 PM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Re: Bluthner soundboard Hi Ron, Are you sure you saw what you think you saw?? I have seen at least one original Bluthner soundboard with screws down through the soundboard into each rib.  It might give the appearance of a soundboard installed on top of the old one.  Really, I don't think that the screws, in and of themselves, would necessarily be destructive to piano tone.  (Ugly, yes...) I wouldn't like the fact that it would somewhat weaken the load carrying capacity of the ribs, though.  But many people put a dowel right up through the center of a load bearing rib, through the soundboard and into the bridge(s).  I don't like that either, but many people do it.  (I don't.) As far as weak tone, it may well need a new soundboard.  I would suspect it would regardless of the screws.  Much could be action related too. There are quite a number of factors that might be there that you also haven't mentioned.  You do say that the action is way out of regulation.  Is this one of the "Bluthner Patent" actions?  If it is, it is radically different than a standard grand piano action and it would regulate much differently.  It would also play differently. But as Newton Hunt once told me, DON'T RUIN IT!!! Yes, they are different, but when they are rebuilt / refurbished, and PROPERLY regulated, they have a wonderful touch and feel that you won't find on modern pianos.  It doesn't repeat as quickly, but it plays so very smooooooooth. (I am assuming that this isn't one with the fourth string on each of the long bridge unisons. You would no doubt have mentioned it.  I haven't seen one of those yet, but hope to someday.) If you hear and learn more about this piano, please pass it along to the list.  I'm sure there are quite a few who would be interested. Best wishes, Brian T. </BLOCKQUOTE> </HTML>