A Closer Look at Martin Guitar Bracing with the Martin Custom Shop

[@Linnwolf]

what about the bracing custom series cut away HPL from Mexico?

[@michaelmullen8373]

Thank you for such a clear explanation of the two bracing systems used by Martin.

[@kwaktak]

I am building a guitar with machined bracing from the Guitar Maker’s Connection and would love it if they offered the Authentic bracing instead because of that lap joint.

[@el34glo59]

Authentic all day long. Hide glue, tucked authentic scalloped bracing.

[@billdedrick1914]

You made some comments that just are not true regarding the bracing, X location etc. and scalloping of the 30's, 40's, 50's 60's...Forward shifted ("X" 1" from soundhole) ended in mid 1938. After that point all bracing was rear shifted. Martin stopped scalloping bracing in late 1944. The bracing from that point forward thru the 60's and beyond was non scalloped. They reintroduced scalloping again with the introduction of the 1976 HD28. Forward shifted scalloped bracing was reintroduced in 1986 thru 1993 with the D16 M , D16H series and again in 1992 with the D18 Vintage 1992 which was followed up in 1995 with the Vintage series D18V and HD28V. . ..

[@el34glo59]

GE bracing also wasn't done in the 30s. Authentic bracing was. Along with a bunch of other things. Hence authentics. 30s was more scalloped than GE bracing. Hate when people say that's the same as 30s. With that being said, GE also isn't MUCH more substantial than authentic. Idk why he said that. They're just slightly more scalloped and more hand finished. Edges etc. Points more rounded. Also the X brace carving is done further update the X, at basically the beginning of the brace, as opposed to the GE. Which is further down. Etc. Sure authentics are lighter braced but not substantially less than GEs. I'd take authentic bracing over GE any day od the the week. Especially with a Addy top that's regular thickness. But they're both great. He was all over the map The only thing extremely similar to pre war bracing, is the authentics. And that includes the ever important back bracing. Which makes a difference in sound.

[@boshi9]

I’m kind of confused by their choices here. How much money are they really saving with this method of constructing the X brace? You’d think that someone working on braces all day should get pretty efficient at shaving down the corners by hand.

[@dannyprasetya2496]

Ain't gonna get one. Floppy X brace? Froggy Bottom, Collings, and Santa Cruz for me.

[@brunocejas]

So they lowered construction quality on newer guitars.

[@el34glo59]

Absolutely not. After the prewar era, yes. But thats way way back. If you want tucked, authentic scalloped bracing, you need an authentic. If you want one step below that, golden era. He's wrong about GE. Authentic bracing is 30s, not golden era. All of them are great. From the 30s to now. And not everyone prefers more scalloping

[@Stringbean421]

@@el34glo59 Yeah but using different woods as opposed to using 100% Sitka spruce on the bracing like he mentioned in the video sounds like cost cutting by Martin to me.