The Infamous Popsicle Brace

[@recoilrob4765]

That's my guitar in the video, have to say there was a bit of "pucker factor" watching the brace being removed. I, like Bryan, have high frequency loss and am pleased with the results as seen on the video, look forward to getting in my hands to hear it first hand. Thanks Bryan.

[@thepokerpilotapp]

I have the utmost confidence and respect for Bryan’s knowledge and skill that I had him remove my popsicle brace out of my 1939 D18 Authentic Aged.

[@jasondonovan-oo3dx]

Did he put his brace in- in its place?

[@thepokerpilotapp]

At time stamp 15:40 I was expecting and surprised to hear a different “F” word than you actually used, lol. I was thinking, holy sh*t, Bryan is going off the rails! to find he wasn’t and it was just me. I wish I had Bryan’s temperment. Well, another great example of watching a video to “see” the process of removing a brace only to find so much more. It’s refreshing to learn something when you weren’t expecting to.

[@rosewoodsteel6656]

Thanks for taking the time with this video, Bryan. As the owner of a 1974 D-35, I can really appreciate the extra highs you are getting with the P brace removed. Now, please take care of yourself and take care of that cold. We can wait a while for the next video. The most important thing is for you to get better.

[@MarderExplorer]

As the owner of a '72 D35, this was lots of relevant information. Thanks for taking the time to plan and test and record and share it all.

[@HayesTech]

I think it's so funny how some people can comment on how you should do something different in what your doing or how you make your video. I get those comments sometimes too and any more I just ignore them. Great video..

[@jonerlandson1956]

i love these kind of stories...

[@smoochimoto]

I have to admit I was always a little skeptical of the frequency analyzer software available for tablets because I was concerned the internal mic on those devices to be a limiting factor as far as accuracy. What this video clearly demonstrated to me was while that may be true, tablets and the software can still be very useful for measuring the DEGREE of change, even if there are inherent inaccuracies. Thank you Bryan for your time and efforts.

[@Bryankimsey]

Yup... I'm making no claims that the tablet/mic/software are an _accurate_ representation of the actual sound.... just that it _can_ pick up some differences. I mean, pro audio people use iPads and software all the time to dial in sound systems. It's a tool. Let's see what it can do. I'm gonna compare my mandolins next because I want to see what it shows vs what I hear.

[@patrickkernaghan7346]

Thank you for this video sir! My favorite version of the upgrade was with the trapizoid brace. The sound is amazing!!

[@luvbgrass]

Thanks for taking the time to do this video Bryan. It was very interesting. There is a lot more to taking out a brace than I suspected. I think if all things were equal, I definitely liked the sound with your brace installed the best. Great job! I don't think I will be trying this one myself, lol.

[@Bryankimsey]

Everything was as equal as I could make it. Keep in mind that's the same guitar in the A/B/C and the SAME strings. It probably should be getting a little duller (but we're guessing) as I loosen/retighten during each test. The fact that my brace- the last thing done- still sounds good kind of demonstrates the point I made about "it sounds like it has new strings on it all the time."

[@thepokerpilotapp]

Bryan- you and I are about the same age and I’m here to tell you, it isn’t the temperature, humidity, elevation, etc. that’s causing your hand issues. I believe it’s because we are Authentically Aged 😮 You are a BK1962AA Model

[@jamesdepalma6341]

As with all of your videos, this is good data. Thank you for making this Bryan! I have read the data you share on your site aswell! All good data!

[@mattandrews1981]

Man, just anorher day installing pretty kitchens watching you knowledge bomb. I built a few guitars about 10 years ago and one of them should sound better then it does. The notes dont bloom. Not airy enough as you say. I think about these things that affect the tone and pretty much everything i need to know to proceed to alter it has been addressed. Im to old to have a hero but man....thanks.

[@jamesarvansmusic4827]

Really appreciate your passion for the craft and efforts to share it with us Bryan. You went to extraordinary lengths to explain, and exemplify via audio and visual representations, the dynamics at work. Well done !!

[@Bryankimsey]

Thanks!

[@neilfradenburgh]

Get over that cold, ya grumpy ol’ man…..thanks for the video and explanation.

[@ronuyeyama4020]

Excellent video. Thank you for showing the progress. It is impressive

[@jeaniepeffer1818]

"vibrations come down from the neck. " I agree with that statement. As, When an unplugged electric guitar is played with the head touching the drywall (next to my bed) there is an enhanced volume emanating from the wall.

[@Bryankimsey]

EXCELLENT point!!!!!

[@billyweeksrealsmallclosetm8484]

Thank you for this patient, highly informative video. Masterful job of a painstaking (how IS your thumb?) and eye/ear opening procedure. Your trapezoidal brace idea is a game changer. Get well soon.

[@Bryankimsey]

Credit to John Arnold again for the brace. I used to use a rectangular one and John pointed out that a trapezoid would reduce stress risers. Of course he was right. :) Thumb's fine.

[@daringbarons]

Thank you for the awesome video! Very comprehensive. I learned a lot!

[@thomastommy1192]

Awesome video very educational in more ways than one. I enjoyed the video and I will watch it again soon. The D35 sounded great in all of the videos before & after. Removing the brace took a lot of the bass sound/tone away. ( I think I would leave the brace in all of my guitars.) But that's me. Everyone is different. Great job & video. Many thumbs up to your videos. I will look forward to the next video. Stay well & safe everyone./

[@Bryankimsey]

Didn't remove bass....added trebles. Look at the frequency spectrum. ;). You just like the tone pot rolled off. Totally fine.

[@lizenwen]

Thank you Sir, very clear very interesting

[@ericecklund676]

Bryan, I have one fairly new Martin that came from Martin with NO Popsicle Brace in it. It's a 2021 000-28 Custom Shop Authentic 1937 Aged (CAA). But, Martin didn't copy a 1937 000-28 from the Martin Museum to do this guitar. They borrowed the pocketed Adi bracing from the 000-18 Authentic 1937 model, and it didn't have a Popsicle Brace in it. Folks who buy a 000-28 CAA are getting an Authentic, just not the one that they think they're getting.

[@Bryankimsey]

Sounds like a winner to me.

[@johnmurret2290]

Fantastic video. Such a great explanation and loved the frequency comparison visuals. Thank you. What is the name of the iPad software you used? Also, did you run it through the built in iPad mic or an external. I’d love to tinker with this type of thing. Thanks again,Bryan. Great stuff!

[@Bryankimsey]

It's called "Spectrum" and was just one that had good reviews and looked like it would give me what I wanted. I used the internal mic just because that's what I had. I thought about connecting my recording setup to my PC but all we're looking for in this video is a simple analysis. iPad, internal mic, and software detected Tele knob change so that was good enough to run with for this video. I'm gonna check my mandolins next just out of curiosity.

[@thepokerpilotapp]

I know one thing. My hands would cramp up rather quickly trying to do that job with these aging hands. NO WAY did I ever think I’d be succumbing to some of these signs of growing old.

[@lambsquarterhorses]

Great video, Brian. Very insightful! To heck with the critics. I really expected to see you use heat like you do on bridgeplates, but it looks like you didn't need it. Thanks for sharing!

[@Bryankimsey]

I started off using heat but spruce braces transfers heat to the spruce top too easily and I had to be VERY careful with heat blistering. A collector customer sent me 4 early GE's and then a Sunburst Braz D-45 Conversion to pull popsicles. I blistered one of the GE's and so when I got to the Braz D-45, I wasn't gonna do that again!!! That's when I tried chipping it and I was pleased with it. Like I said, the GoPro was in my way here but most of the time I can pull a strip of spruce clear from one end to the other and a few times I have managed to pull the entire brace out in 1 piece. I've tried soaking them with a sponge, too, but then the brace gets spongy and won't "crack" loose.

[@blackhawk4538]

On the camera....guessing you activated the digital zoom. Which on maximum zoom will cause blurring of the picture. Check the owners manual on digital zoom vs optical zoom. Anyway that's how my camera works.

[@Bryankimsey]

Ha!!!! That could VERY WELL be, since I was zooming full-tilt on the Crossbills, which is something I've never done before. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipexZKWQZbqViLM

[@tedrobinson3802]

The cracks are just from wood shrinkage. The upper part of the soundboard is smaller and less flexible. Something has to give . Also as you said the upper bout gives lots of air to the sound of the guitar. You can touch the guitar will playing certain notes and hear the sound effects.

[@Bryankimsey]

Even so, a) they have to be fixed, b) the popsicle brace doesn't prevent them, c) I've never seen the cracks in a guitar without the popsicle, d) a trapezoid brace is a stronger solution.

[@tedrobinson3802]

@@Bryankimsey I guess I'll try that on my next build

[@Bryankimsey]

It's what John Arnold does on his builds and he has more experience repairing Martins and more structural/sound savvy than anyone else I know. Both of my Proulx guitars are built with an A-frame-like brace there. Etc.

[@UncleWiggy252]

I WANT A HOT DOG SPECIAL

[@FixingGuitars]

I wonder if your brace, since it prevents the neck block from being able to rotate forward, also minimizes the need for neck resets in the future?

[@Bryankimsey]

No. Neck reset has nothing to do with actual neck movement. Neck resets are needed because a) the builder didn't give the neck enough angle to begin with or, b) over time, the body collapses at the waist, coupled with maybe some bellying behind the bridge. "Neck resets" should be called "Post-Construction Neck To Body Realignment".

[@FixingGuitars]

@@Bryankimsey Thanks.

[@beverlymichael5830]

Really opened it up. I like it without.

[@jonerlandson1956]

it seems to me... though i really know nothing... that if you were to heat the popsicle brace from the inside it might be able to soften the glue?... i don't know what you'd use to heat it though unless you had a small iron you could walk across it?...

[@Bryankimsey]

I use heat to remove bridgeplates: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKjHmoighdSLbNk but those are dissimilar woods. I heated popsicles for years and _always_ had issues with finish bubbles. The spruce popsicle transfers heat to the spruce top too readily. One day, I got a sunburst Braz D-45 Deluxe Conversion in and there was NO WAY I was going to risk bubbling that way and that's when I started chipping them out. Plus, as I mentioned here, the GoPro was in my way and affecting me. I can usually work a popsicle loose well enough to remove large pieces of it and I've occasionally removed the entire brace in one piece.

[@jonerlandson1956]

@@Bryankimsey thanks... i appreciate the insight....

[@smoochimoto]

I have to admit I was always a little skeptical of the frequency analyzer software available for tablets because I was concerned the internal mic on those devices to be a limiting factor as far as accuracy. What this video clearly demonstrated to me was while that may be true, tablets and the software can still be very useful for measuring the DEGREE of change, even if there are inherent inaccuracies. Thank you Bryan for your time and efforts.

[@alexmcmurtrieSits]

Man I really like the sound of the trapezoid braced guitar!

[@Bryankimsey]

It added something to the sound!!! I'm not sure what but it sure doesn't sound worse!

[@alexmcmurtrieSits]

@@Bryankimsey To me it sound more articulate and had a little more volume than the guitar with the popsicle brace removed, which sounded great btw.

[@alexmcmurtrieSits]

Fascinating video Bryan. Thanks for sharing this information. Knew about the popsicle brace but not to this degree. Great explanation. Removing the popsicle brace gives it the “it” factor.

[@Bryankimsey]

An airy, open sound? :)