Daily Challenge Day to Day 136

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The braces are all in place and shaped. On to the next step.

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I remember seeing a calculation of the forces the strings exert on the frame in a piano. It ranged between 18 and 30 tons, which explains the massive iron frame. Although the guitar is no where near this, it is interesting (as always) to see the bracing and the construction need to handle the forces a stringed instrument must endure.
 
I remember seeing a calculation of the forces the strings exert on the frame in a piano. It ranged between 18 and 30 tons, which explains the massive iron frame. Although the guitar is no where near this, it is interesting (as always) to see the bracing and the construction need to handle the forces a stringed instrument must endure.
Yeah, even a short scale instrument like this one will have a lot of pull in its 6 steel strings, about 110 pounds with light strings. A full scale guitar will start at around 140 pounds with light strings, and go up from there as the string gauge increases. Guitar bracing is a black art; many long time luthiers have their owns systems they use, and there are a lot of theories and conventional wisdom bandied about.
 
Yeah, even a short scale instrument like this one will have a lot of pull in its 6 steel strings, about 110 pounds with light strings. A full scale guitar will start at around 140 pounds with light strings, and go up from there as the string gauge increases. Guitar bracing is a black art; many long time luthiers have their owns systems they use, and there are a lot of theories and conventional wisdom bandied about.
I imagine it's quite an engineering problem, especially as the instrument can wear/warp over time. Never mind whatever magic was used for instruments like the Stradivarius. The organic nature of wood makes the problem so much harder than a metal which can be reproduced fairly accurately.
 
I always wonder how the bridge and the guitar top with its relative thinness can hold this extreme tension.
However much calculation can be done with today's computers, it's the builder's experience and skill that make the sound. There are so many aspects to consider. Even today's best luthiers don't reach the sound of a Stradivari.

When you play a prime model of Taylor, Martin, etc. you hear what enormous progress in sound this scalloped and fan bracings have made possible. Just listen to Eric Clapton and James Taylor playing their acoustics ... and your on cloud 9.:cloud-9-039:

But as wood is a living material you have to play the instrument daily to get its full sound. My Taylor took roughly half a year of playing till all the overtones had fully developed. And I only hear how exceptionally good it is when someone else plays it and I'm sitting opposite the player. Now with 25 years of playing this "hifi" quality surprises even sound engineers behind the mixing board when I'm recording.
 
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