Vince, if the soundboard is glued in with hot hide glue, it would not be 
overwhelmingly difficult to remove. Hitchpins and border moldings would 
have to be removed first. After the soundboard is out, the job would be 
relatively easy. Hubbard says that 4' hitchpins in Italian instruments 
were usually held fast by small buttons or squares of wood, each glued 
under its own hitchpin under the soundboard to provide the necessary 
thickness to hold its hitchpin firmly against string tension. This 
implies getting the 4' bridge glued on and doing a rigorous marking out 
job to locate the 4' bridge pins and the 4' hitchpins before the 
reinforcing buttons/squares can be located and glued to the underside of 
the soundboard.

One could conceivably glue on a 4' bridge without removing the 
soundboard by drilling a set of 1/2" holes in the bottom along the line 
of the 4' bridge. Half inch dowels could be inserted in the holes 
between the sound board and the bottom to take the pressure of go-bars 
in clamping the new bridge to the soundboard. That technique is 
marginally possible but very "iffy" and does not provide for anchoring 
the hitchpins.

Just out of curiosity, why are you considering such a change? My guess 
is that you want an 8' - 4' Italian for the performance of 16th Century 
music but guesses are often wrong.

In any case, the change will not be an easy job unless you can get the 
soundboard out. If it was glued in with modern glues, you may have to 
make a new soundboard.

Good luck!

Rob

-- 
ROBERT BROOKE HARPSICHORDS
4214 18th Ave W
Bradenton, FL 34205

www.robertbrookeharpsichords.com

941-746-6725

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