BYO top bracing

JonathanHoltslag

Ive built a couple guitars with a pliage and i always built the break angle into the braces under the foot of the bridge as well, noe im building a bombe style top i was wondering if you radius those braces or keep them flat? Flat seems like it would put a lot of strain in the top once you pull the top down at the tail end, but im wondering if the radiused braces with only a very small glue service would hold when that would be the only lengthwise bracing that is radiused.

Bones

I've never built a bombe per se but I've made many archtops and yes you def radius the braces

JonathanHoltslag

Just to be clear this is concerning a ladder braced guitar with radiused ladder braces, im just wondsring about the short lengthwise braces that fit into the ladder braces.

Bones

Again, I can only comment on archtops but yes all braces are fitted to the curve of the top. probably the fussiest and my least favorite part of building an archtop. PITA

Gouch

I also would recommend radiusing those braces. Assuming a traditionally thin top (like, say, 2-2.5 mm), faring the exterior curve to accommodate a flat brace in an otherwise arched top can result in a top thickness in the flat brace area that is significantly thinner than you intended the top to be (due to “sanding out the bump”). If you radius the brace you don’t have to make that structure/beauty tradeoff.