Here is the plate removed from the case and sound board. I asked an experienced restorer over the internet about the procedure to get this out and he said..."you're a brave man for trying to remove the plate." Well, he was right, it sucked. Consider that every one of the 30 individual screws that I removed needs to be renovated and painted individually...
The pictures that follow show the plate removed, and some detail of what lurks underneath the slim aperture between the plate and the soundboard beneath. I do not believe that the plate has been removed for at least 80 years. The recent restorations were all done without removing the plate. Also, note that the instrument is no longer in the house, but in the workshop...
