Dreadnought Guitar Diagram
Source: Guitar Plans
While the classical guitar has a lot more variety in bracing patterns than does the acoustic guitar, there are a few notable bracing patterns that have become a standard in the acoustic guitar making industry.
In the 1930′s C.F. Martin rose to the top as the leader in steel string acoustic guitars. They led with such innovations as the Dreadnought body shape, the 14-fret neck (the neck actually joins the body at the 14th fret), top X-bracing patterns that are still the standard in today’s market, the belly bridge, scalloped tone braces, v-neck profile, dove-tailed neck joint and more.
While being the leader in the field, they found themselves experimenting, and the results of that experimentation did not yield results immediately. As we all know, guitars take some time to reach their peak sound quality as they have to be played-in and age properly. Many of the great innovations that Martin used, namely the Red Spruce Top Plate, the Scalloped Bracing and the Martin Construction Techniques would make profound guitars that would eventually be worth 10′s and 100′s of thousands of dollars. Who would have known.
One of the innovations that we are speaking to in this article is the X-bracing for the top plate. The main braces form an “X” and it crosses directly behind the sound hole. It was thought that the singular purpose of these two braces was for structural support – a resistance support, counter-acting the stress placed on the top due to the 200# pressure placed on the bridge by the steel strings. But there is more here than structural support. These braces also serve to increase the tone of the top and to transmit the vibrations from the bridge forward toward the sound hole.
Also there are 2 other sub-main braces that were implemented in the Martin brace design. These are typically referred to as the tone braces. Although they play a major importance with tone and volume production, again, that is not their sole purpose. They do provide additional support for the guitar top. If you don’t believe me, take a look at an older pre-war Martin with a warped top. Quite often the warp is due in part to a loose or broken tone brace.
The tone braces were also an additional item that Martin experimented with. These two braces are the braces that they scalloped to achieve that great pre-war Martin Sound.
In today’s market, you will find the luthiers that swear by scalloping and those that swear at it. Some go to the extreme and scallop not only the two tone braces, but the main X-bracing as well. Care and experience has to prevail here as scalloping sacrifices structural integrity and you really have to know your woods to be able to skillful pull this off.
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Tags: acoustic guitar bracing, acoustic guitar plans, Guitar Bracing
