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Direction of lower face braces
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Author:  Wes Paul [ Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:34 am ]
Post subject:  Direction of lower face braces
I am building after Plan #55 Circa 1937 Gibson L-00 Guitar.
And just before fitting the back I realize that I have glued the lower face braces in
In the opposite direction. Does anyone have any thoughts on the effect?
Author:  Jim Watts [ Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:43 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Direction of lower face braces
I wouldn't worry about it too much, each string has approximately the same amount of tension on it, so it's not like one side see's more stress than the other.
Author:  jackwilliams [ Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Direction of lower face braces
I don't think there will be too much to worry about, either tonally or structurally
Author:  Wes Paul [ Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Direction of lower face braces
Sweet! Thanks Jack and Jim! bliss
Author:  DannyV [ Thu Jan 26, 2012 12:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Direction of lower face braces
Hey! I've been there. Scott Antes parlour plans and my first SS guitar. Sold it to a musician who uses it a lot and it's still up and running fine.
Author:  bluescreek [ Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Direction of lower face braces
play it left handed
Author:  Rod True [ Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Direction of lower face braces
bluescreek wrote:
play it left handed


Or hold it backside out ;)
Author:  crazymanmichael [ Wed Feb 01, 2012 12:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Direction of lower face braces
i am surprized by the responses above.

if one accepts the radical proposition that braces do more than provide structual integrity, perhaps even shape the tonal performance of the top, then it is stretching credulity a bit to cavalierly dismiss the reversal of the top bracing as inconsequential.

if the guitar is finished as a right hand instrument, then one would expect, ceterus paribus, bass response to be inhibited and the treble to be les bright.

if finished as a left handed guitar, there will of course, on the same basis, be no effect.

is it a commisioned build or one for yourself? if commissioned i would of a certainty be fixing it for sure. if it was for me i still would fix it. personally, i wouldn't be happy with the glaring fault in my own guitar any more than one i was selling.

and yes, i did it once to. luckily i discovered my error before i began to close the box making rectication relatively easy.
Author:  PT66 [ Wed Feb 01, 2012 12:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Direction of lower face braces
I would be willing to bet that most factory left handed guitars are braced no differant then there right handed siblings. Are there any ex guitar factory workers out there. I worked at Martin in 1966. I don't remimber for sure but I believe the dicision to make a guitar left handed came after the body was assembled.
Author:  Tony_in_NYC [ Wed Feb 01, 2012 12:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Direction of lower face braces
crazymanmichael wrote:
i am surprized by the responses above.

if one accepts the radical proposition that braces do more than provide structual integrity, perhaps even shape the tonal performance of the top, then it is stretching credulity a bit to cavalierly dismiss the reversal of the top bracing as inconsequential.

if the guitar is finished as a right hand instrument, then one would expect, ceterus paribus, bass response to be inhibited and the treble to be les bright.


Tons of right handed guitars have been converted to lefties with nary a loss in bass or overly bright trebles being the result. The tone bars might shape the tone, but they don't seem to care which way they point. This is why most everyone has said it makes no difference. I think it will cause any songs played on it to come out backwards. Thus, resulting in any cowboy tune to have a happy ending when the subject of the song has his job, wife and dog at the end of the tune. Dangerous territory indeed.
Author:  CharlieT [ Wed Feb 01, 2012 2:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Direction of lower face braces
I believe Kurt Cobain played a right-handed dread in Nirvanah's unplugged performance, and he is a lefty. I thought it sounded great!
Author:  Dave Fifield [ Wed Feb 01, 2012 4:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Direction of lower face braces
I've been watching Kent Everett's DVD's on voicing a guitar recently. He went through the purpose of each and every brace on the "standard" X-braced guitar. The long tone bars, apparently, provide more stiffness on the treble side since the treble strings have higher tension. My take on it is that as long as you have enough stiffness in the top to adequately resist the string tension, then it really doesn't matter which way the braces go. I made this same error on an early guitar, but that guitar still sounds great and everyone who plays it loves it! YMMV.

Cheers,
Dave F.
Author:  Trevor Gore [ Thu Feb 02, 2012 2:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Direction of lower face braces
I think I told this story before, but here it is again anyway...

A lefty friend of mine owns a really nice sounding 1953 D28, which he had had converted from right handed to a lefty years ago. Like muso's do, he was short on cash and decided he needed to sell the guitar and thought he would get more money for it as a righty (I was of a different opinion, but that's another story...) so he had it converted back to a righty. It sounded way better when it was a lefty, played "upside down". He then decided he couldn't part with his favourite guitar, so put the left handed nut back in and played it left handed with a right handed bridge/saddle. Even with the compromised intonation, it still sounded way better as a lefty. Yes, I know that's just one data point...

Depending on how the twin lower tone bars are set up, you can get an asymmetric diagonal dipole mode on the top (rather than a cross dipole and a long dipole), and you get this diagonal mode especially when the tone bars are close coupled and not scalloped, like in an old style J45 (and your L00). And it is this diagonal dipole that is responsible for the classic J45 sound. Some Dreads work that way, too. A strong asymmetric mode can change the way the strings drive the soundboard, especially if the node cuts the bridge, so you can expect some change in sound when you switch R to L (or have the tone bars opposite hand), but you might actually prefer that difference. If you have a guitar with symmetric modes, it doesn't seem to make much difference. Many guitars with standard Martin bracing, which is asymmetric because of the lower face braces, still have symmetric mode shapes. Scalloping those braces tends to induce symmetry.
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