always learning

[Stray Feathers]

I've put this thread here because it is probably not news, technique-wise, to anyone but me - more of a musing. I am building my first guitars, two Martin "Norman Blake" style OMs with plans altered from Jonathan Kinkead's book. The plan calls for two tone bars below the x-brace, just like the Cumpiano book, and just about everything I've seen on this forum (which is obviously Martin-centric.) I thought this was pretty much standard practice. Well, I finally (duh) looked inside my own guitars, a Martin 000-15 mahogany 12 fret, which has not two, but one tone bar, and fewer finger braces, and a 1990 Larrivée dreadnought, which has two tone bars, but they're parallel to the bridge, between the lower X-braces. This must all be well-known to some, but somehow it has escaped me until now. It reinforces one thing I have learned here: there is more than one way to build a guitar. It's a good day when you learn something new . . .

[MaineGeezer]

I expect there are as many ideas about bracing as there are luthiers. For my next guitar, I'm going to try a curved bracing scheme used by Carter Ruff, the luthier I'm working with. Assuming I manage to finish the first guitar....

[tippie53]

building a good sounding guitars is easier than making a good looking guitar.
Yes there are many ways to do this and you must find what tickles your ear.