Time to brace the back.
Here Tom's prepping the surface before gluing the braces.
Next, the back seam is glued...
...and sanded.
The back braces are glued on the vacuum press.
Next, the braces are shaped. Tom removes some mass from the lower braces with a finger plane. Notice they are a different shape from the upper two. Tom writes:
I've recently switched the two bottom braces to be more traditional, being wide and not as tall. I did it like this in the last couple guitars and really liked the results. I've heard that the added mass from the braces added more depth in the bass response and that is what I've been hearing in the two that I did like that.
Carving the upper braces.
Final shaping & sanding.
The back's now braced and ready for assembly with the rims.
