Hello. I'm new here, referred to this forum for some expert help on my problem.
I'm just getting into building guitars, and after building my first solid body from scratch, I decided I would attempt to build an acoustic kit, as most of the difficult work is done, and it would give me a sense of what I would be up against. I decided to order a Stewmac kit, as they've generally been very helpful to me and had excellent products and services.
Long story short, I misread the blueprints for the braces and I installed the X braces on the soundboard backwards. Instead of having the scalloped end going towards the lower bout and having the braces cross at the high point, the scallops point above the waist, and cross at a low point, as you can see here:
You can see there how the X braces are positioned backwards. I've been told that this will greatly reduce the strength of the soundboard above the waist, but I wanted to get a second opinion.
Some rough measurements of the braces can be found here.
Some more pictures of the soundboard, the braces, and other parts can be found here.
Thank you for your help, it's greatly appreciated.
Cheers.
I'd get in contact with Stew-Mac and see if they will send you some more X and finger braces, chisel the old ones off carefully and start again. The X intersection is too low. Chisel the old braces off by taking small bits off the top of the brace gradually bringing them down to the top wood without letting the chisel dig into the top. Don't try and lever off the whole braces or chisel off too big sections as the odds are it will crack or damage the top - not a good idea. When the braces are off, sand/scrape the back of the top for the new ones and off you go again.