Official Luthiers Forum!

For those of you who use double x-bracing, is the lower x-brace coupled to the top x-brace with lap joints where the two intersect and then extended to the sides? Or do you just butt the lower brace against the top brace and then butt a finger brace up against the other side?
How does coupling the two change the response of the top?

I just butt the lower x against the upper, and line up the finger brace on the other side.

Chuck

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Here is how I did one on a dred, haven't got the guitar finished yet so I don't yet know how it will sound...I thought this bracing scheme looked pretty cool, I think its done on some old Gibson's...

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MK5acoustics.com

I suppose it depends on what you want to do.... If you do couple it - you will have to decide on how to deal with the additional stiffness.... If you don't - you might end up wondering how much lighter you could have built it if you had.... or maybe it will come out fine like many others have....

I didn't couple the last one and the lower X was really lightly built... It sounds great, but it's got a couple funny sinky marks in the lower bout... Is it from coupling or not coupling the bottom X to the upper X or is it from too wide of an X or not enough bridge overlap... Not real sure... but the solution is probably within that set of things.... I will have to decide what to do different on the next one... I am leaning towards a narrower X angle.... but I am still chewing it over in my head...

Thanks

Just for reference - here's the bracing I was talking about... It's a J45 plantilla (Dread)

Looing back at my bracing pix, the top sinkys are in the exact place where the lower X doesn't intersect the main X.... It might be worth running the lower X into the upper X - even if it's feathered down pretty thin where they hit....

Thanks for the comments and photos! Yes, I think coupling them might make the top really stiff. Perhaps they might work against one another. I'll try butting them up against one another on my next one.
Thanks!