Official Luthiers Forum!

There was some discussion a while back about the LMI plans for a parlor guitar being substantially over-braced. Well. I'm just about to start cutting braces, and I'm wondering how far I can push this thing (BTW, this is my first).

According to the plans, the top braces are 5/16" wide and 1/2" deep. I assume I can take the width back to 1/4" pretty easily. Any more than that, do you think?

And depth-should they be scalloped with the peaks at 1/2"? Or lower?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Steve

1/4 wide 9/16 high is all you need on the X braces Tone bars 1/2 high. If you are under the 0 size you can put 1 tone bar and 1 finger brace.
john hall

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John Hall
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Authorized CF Martin Repair
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You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Thanks John, I also found a bunch of stuff in the archives. Amazing what can happen when you hit that search button, isn't it

Steve,
Make sure you take note that the top and back braces are imposed on the same image, which means that the lower legs need to be opposite how they appear on the Antes plan.
In other words, when you brace up the top, you need to turn the plan over to get the correct layout.

Ditto on the brace advice. 1/4" is all the wider you need to go, as a rule of thumb of course, and 9/16" high at the X ( I think I went 1/2" and was fine.)



Good luck with the build.

Dave

Don't forget the scale length.
If the scale length is shorter, you can thin everything more.
If the scale length is a standard, 24.9, 25.4, then your braces and top thickness should be standard also.
Just because a guitar is smaller, the scale length still dictates the tension on the top.

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Todd, all those ciphers look about right.

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