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Do you tuck your lower x-braces or not? I have done it both ways... some do, some don't. What's your opinion?
Steve

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

There would appear to be no valid reason to do so, and several reasons not to do so.

I don't. Can't say if it makes a big difference or not, but I don't. My theory is keep the perimeter of the lower bout as free to move as possible.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Steve: I tuck the X braces at the bottom. The main reason is that I use them as registeration points when gluing the top. Same with the upper X and the UTB. I do take the end down to about .060 or so. If you leave the tucked ends heavy you can tighten up the top too much in my opinion.Some folks don't tuck the lower X and taper the ends down to nothing to help prevent the brace from peeling in case of a hard knock. I see nothing wrong with that,so it's pay your money and take your chances with whatever way you prefer.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Tucking, or not tucking, the lower main braces, in addition to the tone bars, is a tool to control tone.
It is another technique that the builder can use to shape the tone he wants.

As an example, tucking the lower braces and tonebars can help a dreadnaught in the treble department.

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I've done both, it's a very small piece of the puzzle IMO tucking can be rectified in other ways to get the same result as untucked....

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

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I have done it both ways, and currently prefer not to tuck the lower X. I seem to have better results closing the ring+ mode.

Chuck

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It depends on the guitar for me but usually tapered to nothing before the linings.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Would you care to elaborate on this? Why is it Ok to tuck in other braces but not the X? And what are the "several reasons not to do so"?

I personnally tuck in the bottom X, but I may be wrong doing so, which is why I'd like to know more about what you have in mind.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

Untucking braces and fleathering them to nothing near the lining allows the plate to move much more as a unit rather than having a brace in the lower bout coupled fast to the rims to stop or slow the vibration of that area of the plate, it is my opinion that this allows for a bit more sustain versus tucked braces. Think about a drum skin, hit it with a drum stick and it will vibrate to some oscelation, uniform (because it is not impeded by anything but the tightness of the skin), now hold one drum stick on the skin right at the edge of the rim with a skosh overhand into the open area of the drum, it will damp the skin somewhat... Tried this with a drummer friend of mine and it was an interesting, simple experiment. I of course could be off base here, but that's my thinking.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

It depends if you want a tight top or loose one. I build according to a particular plan for that guitar , so i'll do both to get the results i want. Same for the braceing.

Clearly good sounding guitars can be made both ways. I don't tuck the lower X-brace arms just because it sort of suits my image of how the (my) guitars work.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

I definitely
dont do it on small guitars

I don't tuck anything in the lower bout, but tuck the upper X, and transverse brace.

-Mark

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Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

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