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I think I read somewhere that there is a reason why the braces are tucked. Something like transferring the pull and tension of the strings to the sides? Anyways, the advanced voicing dvd by John Mayes, he tapers some of his braces down to nothing, meaning they don't need to be tucked into the kerfing. Can that be done with all the braces or is there a reason that it's better that they get tucked?

Thanks

I think everyone tucks the braces in the upper bout. The braces in the lower bout vary from person to person.

I'd like to say I taper them to nothing because I had done extensive experimentation and concluded that was without a doubt superior. However, it's really just how I was taught, so I keep doing it that way. The idea is to loosen up the resonant part of the top, while keeping good strength in the upper bout fighting hard to keep the whole thing from imploding. Tucking them in makes the system sturdier.

One reason to tuck your braces in is to support them at the ends, with the intent of preventing braces from detaching from the top. Makes the top stiffer, so you need to brace and voice to fit your building.

If you want to stop the braces short of the rim, tapering them to nothing provides a smooth transition of stiffness, hopefully reducing the likelihood of a brace popping off.

Mike

I'm no expert but it seems most of the flexing or pumping in and out motion occurs close to the edges, which is why braces taper down there. I don't personally think letting them into kerfing is necessary, even though I do do it.

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"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.

Braces can be done both ways , I prefer to set in the Main X and the Truss rod or transverse brace. All others are faded to the top at the kerfing. If you don't set the braces in the kerfing you should fade them as the end of the brace can become a stress riser and the glue joint can fail causing a loose brace. I have seen it done both ways .

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I tuck north of sound hole and the X brace in the lower bout. The tuck on the lower section is mainly for registeration during top gluing. Lots of choices. The height of the tucked end on the lower bout can influence tone.
Tom

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

The stress riser can also cause top cracks.
There are a lot of lessons to be learned from repairing the old guitars. One of those involves cracked and/or loose braces in the upper bout, because they were not properly tucked. This is because the torque at the bridge presses the top downward in the upper bout, and the braces can pop loose. The braces that are most affected are the tallest ones...the X-braces and the transverse bar (#1 brace).
In the lower bout, I am mainly concerned with accidental pressure. For that reason, I like to tuck the X-braces on both ends. My tucked braces are left quite tall at the kerfing on the upper end (upwards of 3/16"), while I will trim the lower ends of the X-brace to just under the top thickness (around 0.09"). That way, the stiffness of the top and brace are roughly equal, sharing the load.

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John

Aha. That makes a bit more sense.

_________________
"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.