Just out of curosity....

I know the standard for top bracing materials is spruce. I have used several types of spruce and I know each one has it's own pro's and con's as it pertains to the tone and volume of the guitar.

I am building an experimental guitar right now, and have tried a few things different just to see what happens. One of the changes is the use of WRC for bracing my top. I am anxious to hear what difference this makes. I have also seen hints of other materials being used for brace stock, but I dont know of any builder who has offered any advice on how these bracing schemes work out.

Anybody want to elaborate on using bracing materials other than spruce?

Hi Ken,

I have been using a local wood known as Agathis for bracing all my guitars and even for tops and the sound is no worst than those using spruce. There are some many types of wood available here ( where i lived ) and until now I've not faced any of my guitars giving problems like the dooming of the top behind the bridge area or cracking somewhere. As long as we understand the application of strenght and mass I think you can use many other alternatives its just because they are not discovered yet.

Jeffreyyong

Thanks for the info!

I have a couple of other guitars on the bench and decided to use mahogany for the back bracing on these. It really looks nice and is VERY stiff. Since I prefer my backs to be stiff anyway, this is working out fine so far. The one guitar mentioned above that I have used WRC for the top bracing is now closed up and awaiting binding. If at all possible, I'll update this thread when I get the guitar finished.

Hi Ken,

I have been using a local wood known as Agathis for bracing all my
guitars .

Jeffreyyong

This guitar started out as an experiment, and I wasnt going to waste alot of time on it because I just wanted to see hwo things would work out with these changes. First, it was a "Prima" cutaway, which is a new style for me. It has the general shape similar to a Martin OM, but with a slightly wider lower bout. I made it out of maple and thinned the maple down to scary thinness.

All was going well with the build, and I also topped it with a sitka spruce top that has some pretty extreme color bands in it. Actually, I like the look. This wedge of sitka I bought was actually meant for brace stock, but it was large enough to cut a couple of sets of tops out of it, so I am trying it. I also used WRC for the tone bars, and the main braces are still Englemann spruce.

When I first routed the channel for the binding, this is when the problems started. The first route was thin in some spots and thick in others. This is when I decided to go ahead and buy a purpose built binding machine. My second attempt to route the binding was with a laminate trimmer I havent used before and had bought used. The stewmac bit slipped in the collet, and completely routed off the back of the guitar. I ended up having to make another back for it and makes the sides of the guitar about 1/4" shorter than I had planned.

Got the new back on it, and then discovered that there were still spots where the channel was too deep and the binding wouldnt cover the gap. I havent decided what I am going to do with this problem yet, but I am determined to make some use of the guitar. I love the shape and size and I am anxious to hear what it sounds like. I'll figure a way to get it all sealed up somehow.

I've never had this many problems with a guitar before. At least this is all happening to a prototype guitar and not a comissioned guitar.