Hi John,
I'm very much a fan of the sound of Western red cedar. It's warm and full sounding and seems to require very little playing in to sound great. That said, you'd better trim your nails to nubs before you begin final sanding and finishing - boy that stuff is soft! If you're going to do deflection maps and want advice/numbers, please let me know and I'll be happy to work with you.
I seem to remember the initial top thickness's being around 0.085" or so, but please note that I use a graphite carbon/epoxy composite bridge patch that's ~ 0.02" thick which along with simple 5 fan bracing helps to consolidate the top. And yes, I use a floating (unattached to the sides) back X-brace to make it easier to tune the back to the top.
Here's a pic of one with a touch of sapwood in the center. The paua Abalam seems to set off the warm colors nicely...
aloha,
