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Interesting approach Andy. When you say you've been "playing around" with the bracing, do you mean you've added/removed/repositioned braces on this top, or that you're just taking a different approach on each guitar? In any case, it looks good. That redwood has a nice color.

This has been an interesting thread. There's not been a stinker in the whole bunch! Nice work guys!

[QUOTE=Sam Price] Walnut/spruce cittern...
[/QUOTE]
Sam, that's really nice work. It looks like your earlier feelings of discouragement were greatly misplaced! Show us more of this one as you progress.

Here are three ideas I'm working on. The first picture is of two tops which have not yet been voiced (carved to final height).



This one is voiced but not yet cleaned up:

Dana no longer glues the top to the rim and then final voices it. Over the
years he developed a sense of what he was looking for and no it is not
necessary. I recall reading that somewhere...plus I've never seen it done that
way in his shop...

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

yep
the top is attached to the rim and I carve the braces and tap

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

i have yet to build an acoustic but have worked on many in the last few years.  This is the R. Taylor style 1 bracing patterns.

Here are my first bracing attempts based on the Cumpiano book.
http://web.mac.com/jebarri/iWeb/Site/Guitar_files/Finished%
20Braces2.jpghttp://web.mac.com/jebarri/iWeb/Site/Guitar_fil es/Finished%
20Braces.jpg">http://web.mac.com/jebarri/iWeb/Site/Guitar%20 2_files/
Bracing.jpghttp://web.mac.com/jebarri/iWeb/Site/Guitar%202_f iles/
Bracing4.jpg

hmmm... doesn't look like the immages worked...

Here are a couple for variety.
Something Different


and another

Ok, sorry about that, here are the pictures...
The first one is a kind of elongated parlor guitar.

JJ and Hesh,

I don't do a curved bridge plate but my guess as to why some folks do is..........here it comes..........



Weight kills tone.

Take a look at how much plate would be gond if I curved mine. Thinking twice now.

_________________
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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

[QUOTE=Hesh1956] Mike your top is looking really good!!! I see nice
and thin, tall braces which means strong braces too.

Are the pics taken in the class that you teach?
[/QUOTE]

Thanks Hesh! No, that's not from my class. I teach the electric class.
The pics are from Robbie's class last year. The top is from the camatillo
rosewood SJ i made back then. I really like the way the guitar sounds
now!

_________________
Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

[QUOTE=Rod True]

Weight kills tone.

[/QUOTE]

Hey Rod,

That's a pretty "heavy" statement . I'm not sure I fully agree with that as it stands. It's all part of the overall design and sometimes more weight can "shape" the tone to where you want it to be - sometimes lack of weight can lead to a very thin sounding "tine".

If you want a light bridgeplate then why not use spruce with a hardwood overlay where the bridge-pins will be?

_________________
Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Here's Mine



They are actually coming soon....really

Cheers

Kim

Geez your a funny guy Kim .   


Cheers Craig

_________________
CRAIG LAWRENCE of AUSTRALIA
_____________________________________________

Is that the goat?   

_________________

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

I mentioned before that Hesh gave me a tip on reducing the tone braces which really helped in opening up the top of an OM

Here's the before and after pics.

Before



After



Cheers

_________________

------------------------------------------------------
Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

Lookin' real good now Bob !

Hey, We'd love to hear from Birthday Boy Dave sometime too . Let's hear it for Dave ,,,,, Hip Hip !

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CRAIG LAWRENCE of AUSTRALIA
_____________________________________________

The curved oversize bridgeplate. Just like many other ideas, bridge plates have gotten larger.

I started off with a precise Martin copy. Then one day, I was feeling around inside one of my Taylors and noticed the larger bridgeplate. One piece of tin foil later, and a slight massage and out comes a pattern for the current bridgeplate I'm using.

To me, the purpose is to provide more rotational stability for this region of the top. We've all seen bellied guitar tops. Taylor goes one step farther, they curve the forward edge of their bridge, ever notice?

By curving it forward and making it wider than say a standard Martin Bridge, it helps with the bellying up behind the bridge problem.

I look at the RTaylor bracing scheme on the R. above and it really makes me scratch my head. Might be the greatest thing since sliced bread? Time will tell. Nothing wrong with experimenting.

Rod share's his Olsonish bracing pattern again, and I can verify that is a pretty good rendition of that famous maker. The lower tone bars may actually be scalloped on the Olsons? I'll have to look at my pictures, it's been a while.

I liked the revelation shared recently with the Lowden /Avalon bracing scheme. At the ball park last evening, I ran into the guy who let me examine his Lowden. So, I'm thinking that may just be my choice for a personal guitar. He's bringing it back, so I can get a body tracing and some dimensions.

Great thread.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Here is mine, I can't say how it sounds as the guitar is yet to be finished but the box just jumps to life with any sound in the room. The bracing is based on Larrivee/Laskin/Manzer;



Shane

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Canada

[QUOTE=Dave White] [QUOTE=Rod True]

Weight kills tone.

[/QUOTE]

Hey Rod,

That's a pretty "heavy" statement . I'm not sure I fully agree with that as it stands. It's all part of the overall design and sometimes more weight can "shape" the tone to where you want it to be - sometimes lack of weight can lead to a very thin sounding "tine".

If you want a light bridge plate then why not use spruce with a hardwood overlay where the bridge-pins will be?[/QUOTE]


Hi Dave,

Your right that was a heavy statement and one I should have thought through more before I posted.

There certainly is a fine line between the weight in the correct place and in the wrong space and weight in general. I'm a rookie of course and just wondering and thinking that the curved bridge plate would have reduced weight to possibly aid in loosening up the top.

I do like Bruce's thought on the curved plate in that it helps combat rotational pull.

Bruce, I'm quite sure that Olson scallops his lower tone bars and I normally do as well, just this top thudded with very little response before I took them down as much as I did. Just trying to make it sound that I thought would make a good sounding guitar. Sure hope it works

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

De Jonge-inspired lattice pattern used on my classical.