<HTML>In a message dated 7/16/2002 6:52:33 PM Pacific Daylight Time, mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Subj:Interesting Piano Belly - Mehlin Grand Date:7/16/2002 6:52:33 PM Pacific Daylight Time From:<A HREF="mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com">mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com</A> Reply-to:<A HREF="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> To:<A HREF="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> Sent from the Internet    I've seen a few or these and some larger. The plate is sloped up toward the rear  so its not far from the rim at rest.  The one I recall had very good sustain but it wasn't worth rebuilding and I scraped it. They had an original idea though didn't they?            >>>>>>>>Dale Erwin>>...</BLOCKQUOTE> >>>>>>>>> <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">I did a first-time service on a 1928 Mehlin grand (didn't measure - about 5' 4" I would guess). It had many interesting features about the belly. I think the Mehlin topic came up a while ago on this list. I have 11 pictures is anyone cares to view them. It seems to be a very well built piano. The first thing that one sees is the plate with it's raised hitch-pin area. The soundboard has a cut-out at the tenor end of the long bridge. The ribs are not tapered. It has a bell, like a Steinway. The long bridge is 74 mm tall at the tenor end, and it tapers down to 23 mm tall at the treble end. The long brige has large holes in it in the tenor area. The bass bridge has 31 notes and also has large holes. The keys are longer than other similar-sized pianos. I guess it was just refreshing to see a non-Steinway clone for a change. I also tuned a Conover 5' 8" grand today. It had a long bridge made of ash! Terry Farrell   </BLOCKQUOTE> </HTML>