Official Luthiers Forum!

Have any of you fellow classical builders ever tried the soundboard pattern that Ted Davis wrote up in GAL some years ago? The lower transverse brace was bent up at the edges sort of "u" shaped and he had an angled harmonic bar going through it like Rodriquez. He stated it was the best sounding guitar he made. I believe this started with experiments Hauser II had done, it is supposed to open up a greater of vibration. What do you think of the Design?

Ed--

I tried "Ted's Torsion Bar". I like the idea--it makes sense to me. I made a jig that bent two plies of thin spruce into the arc he specifies, and then laminated some hardwood veneer between the plies of spruce. Very light, very strong. The problem I have answering your question is that there were so many other experimental things with this guitar, I can't tell what the brace contributed to the sound.
But again, it's a sensible approach; try it, and let us know what you think!

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Ed,

That article, along with the more recent Dake Traphagen article on Hauser II, are my religion, practically. Now, of course any of the tried and true bracing patterns can achieve great results once you learn to tune them, but these ideas are working great for me, and give me the sound that *I* like.

I use the curved transverse bar. Mine is solid, 7mm thick, and yes, it's a bear to bend. I boil it for an hour, clamp it to my bending form very quickly, and bend. It's rough because if you go too fast you get crimps in the sides, and if you go too slow the stick loses its flexibility. Then I 'kiln dry' it in the microwave. No doubt lamination is the way to go, but I wanted to stick with the tried and true method first.

I combine this with the 5 fan system mentioned in the Traphagen article. Just 5 braces, running all the way from the transverse bar to the linings, with an arch carved in the braces to accept a bridge patch, but with no bridge patch glued in. It's sort of a reverse scallop, and goes against what everyone else tries to do in that area, making it as strong as possible.

The result is a beautiful, very clear sound, lots of overtones. A lot of the expressiveness that a spanish design can have, but without the muddiness you often get with them. I just need to work to bring the basses up a bit; they are fine, but could be improved.