Inside the Box, Part 1
No rules, but some basic principles to follow. My mentor, John Greven, has stated in some of his articles that the premise for bracing may have been more for strength rather than sound. This subject could be debated for ions and I am sure that there would be no consensus or clear answers. I’m definitely not taking sides. Here I am highlighting my latest back bracing. I have modified the current, accepted guitar back brace architecture in order to reduce the mass of the brace while still maintaining strength. It seems to make sense and I haven’t had any problems with collapse of the back curvature. If I had my druthers, I wouldn’t have any back braces at all, but there are definitely other factors to take into consideration. These braces make look really tall, but they are not–1/2″ to maybe 5/8″ and kinda on the skinny side. Each one is sized for what I feel is the need for strength in that particular area of the instrument. I already have an idea on how to reduce mass even more and still maintain strength. I’ll keep you posted.
