Question Regarding Top Bracing

[Dogma]

I was looking through the website of a well regarded luthier recently and noticed that among the "build" photos there were numerous images of braced guitar backs, but zero shots of the bracing for tops. This led me to wonder if this is considered by some to be a proprietary aspect of the instrument's design? I could certainly understand that one might feel this way about any aspect of design or construction that is central to specific aspects of the guitars ultimate sound. I am used to looking at photos here and hadn't really given this consideration before.

[Alan Carruth]

I imagine there are luthiers who consider their bracing pattern to be a 'secret'. Of course, anybody could stick a mirror or a cell 'phone in the sound hole and get a good look at it, so it's hard to see how you'd keep the secret for very long if it turned out to make a real difference.

Different brace layouts will tend to favor a slightly different sound, of course. My opinion, FWIW, is that small changes in the pattern are less important than how well the guitar is made. Almost any reasonable brace pattern can be made to sound pretty good if you do it right. It's also surprisingly easy to make any pattern sound bad.

Every luthier develops their own sound, which can carry through a surprising range of variations in size, shape, material, and construction. The brace pattern is part of that, but only part, and maybe not even the most important part.

[Mr. Jelly]

After more than a life time reading guitar adds and discussing guitars I still have things about bracing I don't understand fully. Usually guitar companies like Martin have aspects about their guitars construction they don't talk about. I only learn about some things when it's put out as a plus for sales promotion. Just to throw out some things that make me curious. Like Martin scalloping and the differences in sound from the different variations. Tucking compared to not tucking braces and bridges under the lining or braces and it's affects on sound. When tap tuning a guitar top what is changed and how and why?

[justonwo]

In my experience, there are really only a few luthiers who try to keep pictures of their top bracing out of the public domain. In terms of the ultimate sound of the guitar, the pattern is only the tip of the iceberg. Think of all the different sounds that can be achieved with the conventional X brace paradigm.

[Tim McKnight]

We don’t show our bracing pattern(s) here or on our website mostly out of respect for Ervin’s request that his students not. We don’t use Ervin’s identical pattern but a hybrid of our own design. We use several different bracing patterns based on the tonal target that I am aiming for.

As Alan said, one can peer inside the soundhole with a mirror or phone but just seeing the pattern will yield little useful information. As Juston said, a pattern is only the tip of the berg because a LOT of other factors come into consideration which will vary depending on what the customer’s tonal goal and responsiveness desires are. If you see a bracing pattern what does that actually tell you about the thickness of the top, if it’s graduated, how stiff it is along and cross grain, its stiffness to weight ratio, the MOE, it’s musicality, sustain or responsiveness? In some cases a picture is not really worth a 1000 words but only evokes more questions.

[j. Kinnaird]

Originally Posted by Alan Carruth

I imagine there are luthiers who consider their bracing pattern to be a 'secret'. Of course, anybody could stick a mirror or a cell 'phone in the sound hole and get a good look at it, so it's hard to see how you'd keep the secret for very long if it turned out to make a real difference.

Different brace layouts will tend to favor a slightly different sound, of course. My opinion, FWIW, is that small changes in the pattern are less important than how well the guitar is made. Almost any reasonable brace pattern can be made to sound pretty good if you do it right. It's also surprisingly easy to make any pattern sound bad.

Every luthier develops their own sound, which can carry through a surprising range of variations in size, shape, material, and construction. The brace pattern is part of that, but only part, and maybe not even the most important part.

Yep. What he said.

[tadol]

Makes me feel very good about working with people who freely share their knowledge -

[Nahil.R]

Originally Posted by tadol

Makes me feel very good about working with people who freely share their knowledge -

I completely agree. This forum is full of luthiers whom are willing to work you through every aspect (almost) of their builds with build threads loaded with info.

In my month or so of being a member of this forum I have probably learnt more than in the past 3 years i've been trying to build guitars.

Thank you all greatly for your constant support

Nahil.

[lfarhadi]

Originally Posted by tadol

Makes me feel very good about working with people who freely share their knowledge -

I think this is a complex issue.

On the one hand, I completely respect the fact that certain luthiers may feel that they have developed proprietary techniques, which they consider to be competitive advantages (pardon the cold business term) in the marketplace.

On the other hand, there is a long tradition of luthiers passing down the accumulated wisdom. If there weren't, the craft as a whole would be significantly less evolved than it is today, and we would collectively be the worse for it.