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Okay, so I'm building my first kit and TOTALLY don't know what I 'm doing (as far as guitars are concerned) - there is a ton of information out there regarding bracing the top. As a matter of fact, so much that it's made my head spin. Can anybody recommend a simple link/forum discussion that can help me decide what to do from here? I've attached a picture of my top with all of the bracing attached and ready to glue to the sides ... but I can't decide what/how much/if to do any additional scalloping to the braces. Any input would be appreciated - thus far I've completely (almost) followed Bill Cory's (KitGuitarManual.com) instructions ... and they're AWESOME ... but I just can't pull the trigger on gluing together without making every improvement on the bracing that seems fit.

Thanks,
Mark

Bracing is in a way a mystery as you know . Much will depend on your playing style . Not all players want or like scalloped braces . If you do want to do this I suggest that you be more conservative . It is always easier to take off than it is to put on.
The tone bars you can safely scallop 1/3rd. On the X braces , think about the loading on the top. It isn't just about getting the top to move , you also have to carry the stresses applied to the top. The lower on the top , the more tensional force in it , and there you are safer to scallop. I don't ever take more than 1/2 of the brace and I do it starting at the saddle position. working to the other end. I like to see that about 1 3/4 to 2 inched in from the end of off the guitar.
I also break any sharp edge on the main braces . If making the top floppy was the only goal we would have figured out how to brace paper by now . This is about creating a balance . One noticeable effect of scalloping is the lowering of the headroom . Keep a builders log and note what you do . Being conservative will be a positive way to learn the cause effect relationship of this procedure. Here is a link to Martins that have inside pictures of their bracing.

http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.y ... NG-LIBRARY

good luck and have fun

Siminoff has some pretty good info regarding "brace shaving" in his books --- note "shaving" not scalloping" he has concluded the scallop "nodes/tips" really don't do a thing. Personally I believe the whole idea is to get the sound board as light and lively as possible -- some would say on the verge of implosion. To that end I glue on the sound-board first so I can tap it and decide if I like what I hear. If the sound is tight like rapping on a table top I remove some material from the X and tone bars. Its easier than you might think. Here's the dims Don Teeter uses:

Hi there Mark,
Your work on the top looks great, really clean. Good work.
The two experts have already chimed in, so I will just say, don't fret too much over what the braces look like; scalloped or not.
You will almost certainly be very impressed with the sound you hear from your finished guitar. If you follow a basic plan for the
shape of your braces, you should be fine. You are already basically there. Scallop a little if you think it will help the tone, and
then move on. There are many factors that will determine the final sound out come anyway.
I am no expert, I've only finished 3 so far, but they have all sounded great, but all a little different too. I tried to follow the same
guidelines on my bracing, but there is no way they were identical, even looking at pictures of the previous as I went.
Show us what you end up with.

Kevin

Mark, I also saw your post at OLF and was going to comment there, but this will work too. It looks like you are building an OM or 000 - I would guess a 14 fretter. Are you trying to emulate a particular guitar - maybe an OM-28 - if so you probably should find out what kind of bracing and pattern it has and follow that. For example, OM's and 12 fret 000's are generally 1/4 scalloped, 14 fret 000's are often unscalloped but they vary. In that case you can find pictures of braces and follow the general shape combined with John's comments above.

Another thought is if you have plans for your particular guitar it will show the brace shapes that were intended by the kit manufacturer - again consider following the general shape on the plans. Or even call the supplier - what did they have in mind?

Now I'll give you my personal feelings and what has worked for me. I'm an engineer so I have some idea of the structural properties of these materials and assemblies (remember that the strength of these beams is proportional to the cube of the height), I am anal about reading and studying what others (Siminoff, Bourgois, Carruth and others say about their theorys of tops and bracing), and last, I'm not afraid to experiment a little.

I own an old D18 from the "overbuilt" era - it was a nice guitar but really came alive when Bryan Kimsey did some scalloping through the soundhole - that convinced me that a looser top is good. When I built my 000 and 0 (parlor) I scalloped fairly heavily - they both turned out to be very responsive and amazingly loud (and haven't blown up after nearly six years). OTOH, when I built a couple of twelve strings I made an effort to beef up the braces slightly (no scalloping) and again, they turned out to be responsive and stable.

Short story, I scalloped a similar sized guitar, am happy with the results. I tried to learn from the experience, but it will be many years and guitars before I have a feel for what I'm doing. There are some pictures of the braces on my 000 here - might give you something to start with.

http://www.kitguitarsforum.com/archives ... 25_0_6_0_C

Make sure your chisels are scary sharp and scallop away

Freeman wrote: Make sure your chisels are scary sharp and scallop away

Or don't. Nobody can tell you how to make that particular set of wood sound its absolute best, but I can tell you that you will not be disappointed with how it sounds when you are done. If you plan to make more guitars, leave this one as is and scallop the next one. Or vice versa. I scalloped two of mine that are completed and I get good reviews from anyone who plays them. The best review was the guy at the music store who did not believe I built the one he was playing and he insisted I must have gone to luthier school if I really did build it.
My advice is to not worry so much about the braces now. Yours look good. Not like the big blocks of wood I have seen on other forums. If you plan to build 100 or so, you will get the hang of it. If not, enjoy the few you make.
Finish this one and play it and enjoy it. You should have the parts to start #2 by the time the lacquer cures on #1!!

Thanks guys, for all the great input. I too, Freeman, am an engineer - but I must admit I don't remember too much of my "mechanics of materials"!

You are right, it's a 000, 14 fretter. But I don't have anything to look at and emulate. I don't play, so I probably wouldn't know what to listen for anyway. I've been a woodworker for many years and decided to tackle this project for my 16 year old that LOVES to play.

I think I'll scallop a little bit and then be done with it. It certainly seems my bracing is much more substantial than most everything else I've looked at. I appreciate all the input from everyone. I'll post a few more pictures when I'm done with the bracing ... I'm really anxious to glue this thing up! Here are a couple more pics ... it looks like I may have the same kit as you Freeman.

Mark

Okay, so here is the finished product - I just need to hit it with some 220 sandpaper and glue'er up. I really appreciate everybody weighing in and would love any additional feedback. Any other recommendations from anyone?

I was still planning to put the cloth patch on the X-brace joint ... does everybody agree with that?

Thanks again -

BTW, any suggestions on how to NOT mark the back side of the top when sanding/tapering a brace down to flush? To late on this one but it would help for the next. The grain is barely scratched, but I would have preferred not to touch it at all