Ken Mitchell wrote:
So... back to he junction of these braces and the X-brace... is there a certain amount of tone/sound that is being TRANSFERED through the X-braces TO these braces (whereby it would make sense to have some amount of solid contact between them), or are they simply designed to 'cover the area' and prevent cracking/warping (thereby just needing to but up against or near the X-brace), and just nuance / distribute the tone that's being produced in the general lower bout area as the top flexes?
Thanks for any and all info on this question,
Ken my friend now you are getting into an area where folks are going to have their own opinions and techniques for dealing with these braces.
IMHO braces DO help to transmit vibration and form a matrix of sorts that aids in this task. But mostly these braces provide support and help to stiffen the top.
The intersections of these braces with the X can be problematic again IMHO if there is too much mass where they butt together. I want to be able to hold the top in both hands in front of me with my thumbs on these intersections and flex the top a bit. So in order to accomplish this I always pare the finger braces and tone bars down to 1/16" or slightly less so that the top can flex. In addition, when I pare the intersections enough I can tap right on these intersections and the top will ring when before I pared them down the top thudded.
That's my .015 cents....