bracing

Ken Bloom

On the Favino pages there is an illustration comparing Favino bracing with Selmer bracing.
My question is this. If you leave out the bottom brace of the Selmer to get more bass response, how would that compare to the sound you get from the Favino approach?
I am building a seven string version and I'm looking for the best balance between bass and treble that I can get. All opinions most welcome!

sockeye

Is this Ken Bloom the old-time musician of bowed dulcimer fame?

John from Sugar in the Gourd here. There are a few of us old-time music folks around here, hiding in the corners...

Ken Bloom

Hi John,

One and the same. I'm building myself a new bowed dulcimer and the Selmer 7 string as a matched set. I'm looking for input on the sound and tone differences between the standard Selmer bracing system and the Favino, which looks to be more like what I'm looking for. The guitar I've been playing for decades was designed after the Selmer but with significant construction differences.

Josh Hegg

Favino tend to have less bass and more mid. Then you have Busato who had a Favino style build that has much more low end. The original Selmer has a really nice bass response compared to many newer makes of the same style. Alot of the tone comes from the bracing but there is allot to do with finish, bridge tuning, top plate stress, amount of rake, setup, and the player.

Cheers,
Josh

Ken Bloom

Hi Josh,

Thank you for the reply. I am aware that there is much more to tone than bracing.
Your answer does make sense to me, given some experience with other ladder bracing approaches. I was planning on only using four braces instead of five. Any thoughts about this?

sockeye

Ken, you might ask Michael Collins or Shelley Park what they think. Both are North American luthiers who have built Selmer and Favino style guitars.

http://www.collinsguitar.com/

http://www.parkguitars.com/

John