Improve Your Acoustic Guitar's Tone - Scalloping Braces on an Epiphone Dove (How To)

In this video I show the process of scalloping the braces. I bought a cheap flexible scope to help film bits of the process inside, so that you can see what I'm doing.

[@winstonoboogie2424]

I'm getting good results doing this on my guitars.

[@qua7771]

Is there any downside to doing this in terms of sound? I use light gauge strings.

[@richardsyoutubechannel995]

A video sound comparison would be good ?

[@simpleone1989]

See the previous video.

[@junsunga7650]

Where to buy curved thumb plane online and what size?

[@jc4626]

Hi Simon, thank you for the how to, I am looking to do this on a Classical guitar of mine. Did you do a tap tone on your top before and after? And any work done on the back braces? thank you - Cheers.

[@simpleone1989]

No I didn't do a tap tone as I don't know what to listen out for and I think once the top is glued on you may not hear much of a difference. Luthiers seem to tap the tone before gluing the top on. Some have special devices that look at the frequency of the top's vibration, but these are usually done during the shaping process before finishing. I merely shaped the braces based on how I think scalloped ones look like and shape them to the best I can, as it's tough to do it single handedly through the sound hole. I did not shape the back braces as I feel they have a smaller role to play in terms of tone.

[@TomCernikShin]

Can you send me links to tools you use for this? thank you!

[@hodgesmyers1453]

Any update on this? Would you do it again? Would you do anything differently?

[@simpleone1989]

I didn't manage to record a follow up video but the sound significantly improved after about a year. It became warmer and had more depth to it. Unfortunately because of the lighter bracing the top arched more and the poorly glued bridge started lifting at the wings so I had to reglue it. I'll definitely do it again, maybe on one of their budget slope shoulder models. Nothing I would've done differently.

[@mrcolin2u]

What about using a dremel tool

[@simpleone1989]

It's possible but really depends on how skilled and confident you are with a dremel. For me it seems a bit dangerous and I would probably not try it.