Official Luthiers Forum!

Im interested in using a cross brace on the back of my 12 string. I recall
Allan Carruth using these on some of his guitars. Could someone kindly put
up a few pics of their cross braced backs so I can have a gander at same?

Thanks in Advance

This is one that I've just glued up yesterday.



I thought that I had some picts of ones that I've carved, but not so. I found that the back really holds the dome much better braced like this. The braces are all 7 mm X 15 mm and will be thinned considerably. This is the first back that I've added the small finger braces in the lower bout. I'll shave them down a fair bit.

Hope that this helps.

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Allen R. McFarlen
Barron River Guitars & Ukuleles
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Cairns, Australia

Thanks Allen, that helps alot. Just needed some idea of positioning of the
cross brace.

Cheers Martin

Here's one Martin.



There was a thread about 6-9months ago which had loads of X-braced backs. Search in the archive.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Thanks Colin,

I did a search but didnt come up with much at all.

Cheers Martin

One of mine.

I don't have a pic handy, but usually use two parallel cross braces, at the shoulder and waist, and an X in the lower bout these days. Often the X gets carved 'way down: the one I'm assembling now has the X about 11mm tall in the center and only 4-6mm tall at the ends before it starts to taper off to be inletted. The tips are 3mm tall.

Back woods vary more than top woods: a soft piece of mahogany is not much like a hard piece of Brazilian, or even Indian. I don't have a good brace pattern for backs that works for all of them as well as the usual top brace patterns do.

OTOH, since most of the sound is in the top anyway.....