<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>In a message dated 11/28/2003 9:19:21 AM Pacific Standard Time, Richard= .Brekne@grieg.uib.no writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue = 2px solid"><BR><FONT face=Arial>Hi Joe <BR>  </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial>As far as the reasoning for the ribs... take a gander = at this picture with the shape of the bridge roughly drawn in. Seems to me t= hey were maybe thinking that this ribbing pattern would support the bridge a= rea against downbearing. One rib traces the bridge almost dead underneath fo= r most of the bass lower treble. The two longest ribs run on either side, an= d along with the cross rib they perhaps were meant to hold the whole area up= . <BR>  </FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040>  <FONT size=4><S= TRONG>Ric ,your assuming that maker added any appreciable downbearing a= t all to the system.  After working with so many good sounding uprights= over the years which had negligble bearing it may be safe to say that = that most uprights are mainly  mass driven systems not requiring m= uch ribbing support except to keep the board more rigid even though it'= s flat.  I suspect your square & many like it are the possibly the = same kind of concept.</STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=4>  = Dale</FONT></STRONG></DIV></BODY></HTML>