Silk Ribbon for Side Bracing

[jrc127]

On my first build John Hall recommended that I use silk ribbon for side braces. Around that time my friend Bruce Roth at Vintage Blues Guitars let me play this 1930 Martin OM-18; see it here: http://www.vintagebluesguitars.com/inventory.html with really cool banjo style tuners. On their inventory page it's about the fifth or sixth listing with pictures and sound clips.

Man, was I nervous, that is one pricey guitar! It's on hold (or Bruce is playing it) but I think it was priced over $20K. The first thing I noticed was how light it was. So, when John suggested silk ribbons, I knew Martin had used them and I had even played a little on one so what the hell. Well my guitar is very light and I like the sound - part of that is from the side braces. John, do you recall why you made the suggestion in the first place? Good call, man!

I may go with ribbon side braces on my second one or I may experiment and use would. I was wondering what others have done. Do folks use anything other than silk ribbon or wood? What about no side braces?

[tippie53]

I have used may woods as supports. I do like to remove any unneeded weight when I can. Side supports are there for helping to control cracks and they do as well as any wood piece. Most side cracks come from force . I have seen side braces that look like table legs. They don't really tie in the top to the back .
Have fun and I am glad you liked the end result