#1-The Top Braces — tyson hand-did

The Top Braces | Bracing the top of the guitar is where most of the magic happens. The braces are there to add structure and strength to the soundboard (top) of the guitar as well as produce tone. On a steel string guitar, there is about 170 lbs of pressure on the top where the strings run through the bridge. That 2.8mm thick piece of cedar would shred and implode without the support of the braces. But the braces are also key in producing good tone. Carving and sanding the braces is a balance between keeping the top structurally sound but also loose enough to produce good tone.

The pattern for the braces on the top of the OM model guitar have already been figured out and are hard to improve upon. The pattern I am following is one that was introduced by Martin and has been a "standard" for many years. Here is a basic overview of the braces:

As a general rule, the braces listed on the left provide both support and affect tone. The braces on the left are primarily for support. (There is another small brace that some people call the "tongue depressor" that sits right above the upper transverse brace that is not in the diagram.)

So with my plans, my cut list for the braces, and prayers for patience and skill, it's time to get cutting, gluing, and shaping.

The first braces I cut were the two arms of the X-Brace. This is the most critical of the braces because it provides most of the of the support for the top. The two arms of these braces were cut at the same time together in order to make them as symmetrical as possible. They are joined together at the center using a basic lap joint.

To make the lap joint, the brace arms are marked at their intersection then I carefully cut out about half the depth on each brace following the marks. This creates an interlocking joint that is very strong. It has to be; if this joint fails the guitar will implode!

As with all the other braces, the X-Brace is sanded in the radius dish to give a 30 ft radius to the bottom.

For all of the braces, I simply followed the cut list from my plans, planed everything smooth, pre-scalloped the braces that needed it, and radiused them all.

After rough shaping everything it all gets glued on in stages and clamped in the GoBar deck:

Here you can see the bridge patch and some very small "seam insurance" patches being glued up. The bridge patch is a piece of maple that adds strength where the strings will go through the top.

Scalloped braces have material chiseled out of them to make them looser. You can see the scallops in the braces looking along the body - they look wavy.

#neardisaster - see those go-bars and cauls there on the right. By getting in a hurry I cracked the edge of my top! Fortunately, I was able to patch it up and I don't think it will affect too much when I am done. Cedar is so delicate; you look it wrong and it will dent or crack.

Once everything was glued and set, the key braces have to chiseled, planed, and sanded to remove material to "voice" the top of the guitar. This is a critical part of the process and since I have no experience here, I watched a lot of videos and read a lot of resources on this topic. Basically, you are trying to make the top of the guitar responsive so that it sounds musical yet at the same time remaining structurally sound.

After removing wood from key areas of the braces, I would then hold it up and tap it at the bridge to listen to the tone and tightness. You are trying to get a "gong" sound - a strong attack of the primary tone at the beginning of the tap and then a tone that sustains and then reveals some overtones. If you are interested, here is a video of Dana Bourgeois - a master builder - working through this process:

Again, since I have no real frame of reference for my guitar, I am kind of guessing at this point. However, when I tap the top it has a rich musical sound that sustains and sounds "woody." Hoping that well translate well in the end.