Thanks Jim for the reply.
The various modifications I made were done in stages over a year beginning with the soundhole enlargement, then the top braces, the cross brace, and the popsicle brace, each a separate, disparate procedure. All was well after each one.
But then last week I started in on the two back braces after which developed the airy, open, no-meat sound. So my instinct is to roll back time to the last point where things were okay.
A few days ago I placed two 3/8" x 1/2" back braces (that I haven't gotten around to re-gluing into a 50 year old Gibson) up against the front and back of the #3 and 4 braces and held them tight by wedging a thin piece of pine between them running along the center seam. This has made a significant improvement in the tone and got me at least half way back to where I had been.
I was therefore encouraged by this result to proceed with getting the braces back to the original height before I took sandpaper to them, and hence my initial query. But my thinking may be flawed. So today I'm trying to figure out a better experiment to restore the lost height than the pressure fit I've rigged using the two Gibson braces. I think I'm on the right track, but probably won't be certain until the braces are properly replaced. If that doesn't do it, then ** gulp ** I will have to start thinking about those top braces.
Thanks again.
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