<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"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040> <DIV>In a message dated 10/20/2003 6:58:36 AM Pacific Daylight Time, pianobu= ilders@olynet.com writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue = 2px solid"> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN= -LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040></FONT><FONT face="Tim= es New Roman" color=#000040></FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Geneva color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT= face="Times New Roman" color=#000040></FONT> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040> <FONT size= =3>Dale wrote</FONT></FONT><BR></STRONG></FONT><FONT face="Times New Rom= an" color=#000040 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF"><STRONG>  The bell is jus= t a plate stiffening device. A short beam from the belly rail to the case in= the same area would allow for another nose bolt that could take the place o= f the bell. I cant say the bell has any effect in and of itself to influence= tone but does stiffen the plate web where it attaches thereby influencing t= one. There must be a modest down force of the bell bolt to do so which = by the way will increase the downbearing a small amount (tone effect) T= hese bolts also seem to come loose from time to time and cause a weird rattl= e.</STRONG></FONT></DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#0000= 40 size=3></FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3>Take th= e coupling bolt out of a D sometime and listen to what happens to sustain th= rough that area.</FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3></FONT>=  </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3> D= el</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=4>  &nb= sp;      Del</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=4>  &nb= sp;     I took your suggestion out of curiosity tod= ay.  I have an almost completed D in the shop which by now I know intim= ately in the tonal sense. I listened carefully to octave 6 & then d= isconnected the </FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size= =4>bell bolt. Honestly it was difficult to say there was any desernable ch= ange. However when I put it back in I decided to tighten it a bit more &= the sustain though slight increased on a few notes primarily C-6 ,thru D sh= arp 6. It was so slight that I cant imagine a beam and nosebolt wouldn't hav= e the same effect. For all its touted features I'm questioning its= benefits not to mention the torque it puts on the rim where some separation= is often seen.  Know what I mean? </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=4>  Dale</FO= NT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>