[Neil K Walk]

LOL. Congratulations! You're about to pass the point where I'm stalled on my second build! I'm actually about to put wood side braces on my sides. They're made from scrap spruce from bracing cut offs and I measured them so that they butt up against the reversed basswood kerfing the sides are EIR which I have found to be very resilient to changes in temperature. I figure if they expand, then it should be that big of an issue. I did it with my first build (actually, I used walnut scrap on mahogany sides with Spanish cedar kerfing) and 4 years later there's no issues.

Long story short, I say put in whatever you want but don't overthink it. Most luthiers who post over at the Official Luthier's Forum have said that they first 12 guitars or so are "drafts" - or woodworking experiments that are shaped like guitars but don't sound as good as factory guitars or even their own later builds.

Still...that first build is special so it's supposed to be a keeper. I'm told its real function is to get you hooked on the process so that you want to go through it all over and over again, tweaking the process and getting more elaborate with each subsequent build.