Official Luthiers Forum!

I always ran bridge patches for ladders the opposite. Grain runs perpendicular to the top.

Thanks, I'll do that then!

Do you inlay the maple or rosewood patch into the larger spruce patch or simply glue in on top of the spruce patch?

Just glue it on, Mike. Don't inlay it.

Great. Gave my red spruce top an hours roasting at 93 degree C didn't notice much happen to be honest but it does feel a bit more papery and the tap is maybe a little better. Was pleased to see very little movement either during or after roasting.

Got a nice bit of well seasoned very stiff Italian spruce for the bridge patch and a bit of tucurensis for the extra patch for the ball ends. Cut a bunch of Italian spruce for the top bracing and I've got the back glued on so I'm heading in the right direction. Also got my maple / ebony laminate bridge done.

Well I've thicknessed to just under .120 and added the bridge plate and bracing. Both bridge plate and rosewood patch are at about .120. Bracing is more or less per John hows recipe and are 19mm high and about ten mm wide. Haven't carved the braces into triangles yet but the whole top feels very stiff and tight with a firm 'ping' tap tone and absolutely no 'bong' at all.

Am I overbuilt or is this what they feel like?

Oh. I know the bloody bridge plate slipped a little when I was glueing so is a bit off ninety degrees to the centre line.

Thanks all.

A related question is whether to tuck any of the braces? My instinct is to tuck only the shoulder braces and taper the lower ladder braces fairly well clear of the lining in am effort to improve bass response. I'll probably thin the edges of the soundboard in the lower bout with the same goal in mind.

Well. I've impatiently ploughed on.

Took the rosewood plate down to closer to 2mm with a scraper and I've carved and tapered the braces. Has a nice ringing tap now but still no bong of a lightly braced X top but I'm pretty sure I'm there. Tapered the braces below the soundhole to nothing add that's what John how's picture looks like. Doesn't look like he tucks the utb either but I am going to.

Hi Mike,

Nice to see a ladder braced guitar build, it's high on my list of things to try. With that said, you can be certain my advice can be easily trumped by any information from John How or Haans.

I like that you thinned your rosewood plate to 2mm. I build my x braced guitars with a .090" spruce bridge plate and a .065" rosewood patch. I can see where a thicker spruce plate would be in order for a ladder braced instrument as there are no braces running under the corners of the bridge.

As far as tucking braces, what I learned is above the sound hole gets tucked into the linings and below the sound hole taper to nothing about .120" short of the linings.

Steve

Weerrrrlll, two house moves, two career moves and two children later I decided this needed finishing. You don't get pictures as the sprayed shellac got plenty knocks in storage as well as moisture clouding and other rubbish but I decided it couldn't really be got to a perfect state so I have it done clear tru oil and strung it up. Heshs setup and nut info v timely thankyou. Really resonant and surprising rich bass and loads of power. First red spruce top I've used, don't feel I want to ever use anything else now!

Quick noodle video below hopefully. New set of 12 guage retro strings and the action a bit low for my heavy fist but I expect it will come up slightly.

Sounds good!

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Cool it does look and sound good, nice job!

Nice picking Mike. The guitar sounds great!

_________________
Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Congrats on seeing it through to the finish line, sounds good.

_________________
Measure Twice,

Karl Borum