Soundboard blanks and ribs laying on the soundboard press, ready to be made into soundboards. These soundboard blanks are Commercial Grade 1 Adirondack Spruce, the highest quality available.  On the top is the soundboard "blank" for the Chickering.  Underneath, in descending order, are soundboards for a Steinway 9' Concert Grand from around 1901 and a Mason & Hamlin 9'4" Concert Grand from about 1903.   This Chickering Grand, because of it's design, had an especially wide tail. Notice that the Chickering soundboard is wider than the Steinway and nearly as wide as the Mason & Hamlin.  Between the soundboards are the rib blanks.  This Chickering 6' 4" has a total of 15 ribs, more than we usually see on a piano of this size.  For a comparison, a Steinway 9' has only 2 more for a total of 17.