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Left Handed Guitar Bracing?
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Author:  Flippo [ Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

Hello All, I am starting to build a left handed guitar for a friend - my first left handed guitar. I know the bridge/nut needs reversing, but do you also reverse the top bracing?

Any other reversals on a left handed that I might be missing?

Thx, Tony

Author:  DennisK [ Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

The side marker dots on the fingerboard :)

And yes, reverse the bracing. And of course the cutaway, if there is one.

Author:  Rick Davis [ Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

And don't forget the strap button!

Author:  unkabob [ Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

Depending on the bracing system, you may have to reverse the bracing. Kasha bracing in particular is treble and bass specific. Scalloping may be different if it is treble and bass specific.

Bob :ugeek:

Author:  Laurent Brondel [ Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

I will be the contrarian here and state that there is no treble or bass side concerning bracing. For the bridge it is different as mass and inertia can affect bass or treble strings differently.
The top does not know the difference between the treble or the bass side. What matter when doing asymmetrical bracing is to create an imbalance in the discrete areas the top is divided into (like when scalloping one leg of the x, and not the other). Traditional tone bars (as done by Martin, Gibson, Larson etc.) do that as well, and work the same for right or left handed guitars.

Author:  WaddyThomson [ Tue Dec 07, 2010 11:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

+2

Author:  Flippo [ Tue Dec 07, 2010 12:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

Thanks guys - a lota of help.

Dennis, Good catch on the side fret dots.

Author:  meddlingfool [ Wed Dec 08, 2010 3:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

Hmm. So you're saying that if you took a right handed D-28 or whatever and swapped out the bridge and not for lefty it would have no impact on the sound of the guitar? I would have thought it would make sense to reverse the tone bars as well to keep the open end beside the bass strings.

Author:  Colin North [ Thu Dec 09, 2010 8:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

Laurent Brondel wrote:
I will be the contrarian here and state that there is no treble or bass side concerning bracing. For the bridge it is different as mass and inertia can affect bass or treble strings differently.
The top does not know the difference between the treble or the bass side. What matter when doing asymmetrical bracing is to create an imbalance in the discrete areas the top is divided into (like when scalloping one leg of the x, and not the other). Traditional tone bars (as done by Martin, Gibson, Larson etc.) do that as well, and work the same for right or left handed guitars.

I've read an article by 2 repected luthiers some time ago (partners at the time, I think one of them may have been Grit Larskin, but don't hold me to that) saying they made similar guitars, S/S and classical, asymetrically braced, left and right handed to inverstigate the results.
It seemed to them that no discenable difference was found in the sound/response for S/S (as others on OLF have observed), but that Classicals benefitted from having any assymetry in bracing reversed to match the "handedness" of the player.
Figure that out?

Author:  Alexandru Marian [ Thu Dec 09, 2010 10:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

In all cases asymmetry is used in a classical, it consist in making the treble part stiffer one way or the other. Since the trebles are hooked up closer to that part, it is perhaps reasonable to image their energy excites that area first and only then travels towards the bass part and the overall periphery, all mixed in the vibrational soup? If yes, then switching the strings will delay and reduce some of the effect created by the stiffer area?

Author:  LanceK [ Thu Dec 09, 2010 10:43 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

You must Flipp'o ;) the bracing. mainly the tone bars. On my guitars most everything else is symmetrical.

Author:  Flippo [ Thu Dec 09, 2010 1:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

This is going to be a left hand Steel String (00 size), and I've decided to reverse the tone bars.

Author:  Colin North [ Fri Dec 10, 2010 6:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

Can't hurt....

Author:  Mattia Valente [ Fri Dec 10, 2010 4:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

Alexandru Marian wrote:
In all cases asymmetry is used in a classical, it consist in making the treble part stiffer one way or the other. Since the trebles are hooked up closer to that part, it is perhaps reasonable to image their energy excites that area first and only then travels towards the bass part and the overall periphery, all mixed in the vibrational soup? If yes, then switching the strings will delay and reduce some of the effect created by the stiffer area?


I think the fact classicals are often much, much lighter, having to convert far less string tension into sound, means they're more sensitive to subtle (or less subtle) changes.

Author:  patmguitars [ Fri Dec 10, 2010 5:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Left Handed Guitar Bracing?

I side with Laurent on this one. I think it was Richard Bruné who some time ago started a lecture for the GAL annual convention by saying: "Let's make one thing clear: there is no such thing as a bass side and a treble side of a guitar..." (approx. quote)

I just had one of my early guitars in the shop a few weeks ago. Although the bracing was assymetrical, the new owner was a lefty and wanted the guitar setup changed. Once performed, this operation had no effect whatsoever on the sound of the guitar.

Pat

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