Bracing: Layout, Shape & Dimensions

[printer2]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

I have two suggestions as follows:

1. look-up the term "stress concentration" or "stress riser". Where are the places on a guitar where this does or can occur? Design them out or minimize them as much as possible. (Hint: in addition to the standard structural situations, differential wood movement due to humidity changes can also be a source of stresses.)

2. Examine what is actually happening that a "neck reset" is required? What deformation is happening in the top, back and sides? Design to prevent/minimize that.

In a nut shell, that is, at minimum, what the structure needs to accomplish. If one doesn't achieve that, no matter how responsive the instrument is, it won't remain in a playable condition long. The trick is to accomplish that without overly impeding the response of the instrument. If you do a survey, you'll find people have tried many different approaches to accomplishing that. Which one is best? Depends on who you ask. Many different ways can be used to produce a very fine sounding instrument.

Will do.

As you can see I haven't done a constructive thing all morning, some of these are interesting.

I found 9:30 kind of kind of cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63i-MW6aTgs

This is interesting also.

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc...=rep1&type=pdf



http://saliguitars.com/40_sal.pdf

http://www.pantheonguitars.com/voicing.htm

See the added clips

http://www.artistshousemusic.org/vid...lding+a+guitar


Effects of a Scalloped and Rectangular Brace on the Modeshapes of a Brace-Plate System
http://ijmem.avestia.com/2012/PDF/001.pdf

Designing a Guitar Family
http://www.csc.kth.se/utbildning/kth...aldersmith.pdf

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

A quicker method is to learn from someone who has already largely optimized the result.

Agreed. I was going to comment that like learning music, it is best to emulate and master the music of those who came before us. So, find a guitar you like - taylor, martin, gibson, etcetera and study its bracing, understand it, and look at the other types of guitars you don't care for so much (sound-wise) and study them too, noting their differences. Try to understand the function of each individual brace and the totality of the system, and the alterations to it that create the distinct differences in guitar sounds.

Developing an understanding of this takes many moons. Once mastered, you can decide for yourself how to tailor the guitar's tone to achieve the power, tonal characteristic, and response that you find pleasing or that your clients' desire.

[printer2]

Originally Posted by HCG Canada

Agreed. I was going to comment that like learning music, it is best to emulate and master the music of those who came before us. So, find a guitar you like - taylor, martin, gibson, etcetera and study its bracing, understand it, and look at the other types of guitars you don't care for so much (sound-wise) and study them too, noting their differences. Try to understand the function of each individual brace and the totality of the system, and the alterations to it that create the distinct differences in guitar sounds.

Developing an understanding of this takes many moons. Once mastered, you can decide for yourself how to tailor the guitar's tone to achieve the power, tonal characteristic, and response that you find pleasing or that your clients' desire.

Been trying to do that. Was on the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum and looked through every picture in their bracing thread. Hard to say what the differences sound like. Try to catch what lot of the builders do here also. But other than gross differences it is hard to guess at the effects.

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by printer2

Been trying to do that. Was on the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum and looked through every picture in their bracing thread. Hard to say what the differences sound like. Try to catch what lot of the builders do here also. But other than gross differences it is hard to guess at the effects.

Yes. A lot of hands on experience (hand in the soundhole feeling braces and using mirrors to look) helps, so you don't have to build 100 guitars just to get a feel for different interactions. Photos, videos, and recordings can't replace having the real thing in hand. Do you have a local luthier who also repairs guitars with whom you can hang out a bit and look at a greater variety of guitars?

[Tom West]

If your looking for info try the Official Luthiers Forum. Lots of stuff in the data base, you may have to dig a bit for what suits you.
Tom

[PeterF]

http://www.anzlf.com/viewtopic.php?t=110&start=25
This is a very good thread discussing Somogyi's bracing method. Whether it is what he does now or not is another matter - I think he uses different bracing for every guitar. Basically the generalizations are:

very thin top
tapered, not scalloped braces, not tucked into the lining
large, thin bridge plate, possibly laminated
fan or lattice bracing instead of tone bars
a solid wood x brace cap
beefy UTB, possibly even a cross grain veneer laminated to the top above that
reverse kerf lining and double sides

[Tom West]

http://www.grevenguitars.com/voicings.html
Read and heed. The man has make about 2000 guitars. He knows what he is doing.
Tom

[printer2]

Originally Posted by HCG Canada

Yes. A lot of hands on experience (hand in the soundhole feeling braces and using mirrors to look) helps, so you don't have to build 100 guitars just to get a feel for different interactions. Photos, videos, and recordings can't replace having the real thing in hand. Do you have a local luthier who also repairs guitars with whom you can hang out a bit and look at a greater variety of guitars?

Kind of how I got the hang of electronics and mechanical design. Took apart almost anything I could get my hands on. Not that I recommend taking apart too many guitars. I will try looking up local luthiers, just wanted to get my current guitar playable first. I like the idea of having some knowledge and something to show in order to give the luthier the feeling they are not wasting their time with me. At least understand the basics and the language.

[Viking]

Wow. Some really good stuff on this page. Thanks a ton fellas.