lattice tops

While cutting braces and other parts for the next few ukuleles and classical guitars i decided to cut some bracing for a lattice top.

Lattice tops have been getting quiet a buzz going ever since the Australian luther Greg Smallman (iirc) started using this bracing technique on his classical guitars some years ago. Being a traditionalist at heart and someone who feels there is plenty of room for learning and development exploring the older Spanish methods of fan bracing, i've always looked a bit askance at those who wandered off the beaten path to chase the latest buzz before mastering the traditional methods.

After all, even though the fan braced designs have been around for several centuries and many builder's have struggled to understand their inner secrets, you can count the number of living people in the world who know enough about fan bracing and graduation that they can predict the effect on tone and character of any variation on the theme on one hand, or maybe two, and they are probably all over 60. After all, a fine stringed instrument isn't a static thing, it evolves over time ... interacting and adapting to the way it is played, its environment, stress and fatigue of the materials and so on and so forth, and a lot of the judgements a builder makes when bracing a top are with one eye to how it will evolve over time. It always seemed to me that a builder was more likely to make progress building on the work and experience of the many builders who have worked with the traditional methods.

Having said all that, and stuck my neck out perhaps a bit further than is comfortable in public, i have heard a few lattice braced classical guitars recently that interested me enough to want to experiment. For example, here is a sweet sounding lattice braced guitar by the Australian luthier Ashley Sanders. I haven't decided whether to try a lattice braced tenor or baritone ukulele or a classical guitar, but i have decided to build something and see where it goes. Maybe i'll try one of each.


Stay tuned ...

A little while later, i have some lattice bracing. It must be the arrival of spring and the thought of some nice sweet peas growing on a trellis that got me started on this.



The bracing is cut from an old European spruce top i had lying around. The lattice pieces are approx. 3mm x 5mm on a 40mm grid. Though i am guessing, this is probably a happy compromise between what I'd use on a classical guitar and what i'd use on a tenor or baritone ukulele. The bracing strips are made using a method similiar to that used for making kerfing, using a registration pin and a step and repeat procedure on a table saw with a sliding table.

Lattice bracing, like other bracing styles, attempts to distribute the compliance and stiffness of the top in a way that produces a musical result. A section of lattice bracing shown here will be cut out to the general outline of the lower soundboard less the linings, glued to the soundboard, and then the parts of the lattice near the edges of the instrument will be scalloped with a chisel to provide a stiff and lightweight top with good compliance around the periphery. The soundboard to which the lattice bracing is glued is generally thinner than a fan braced soundboard. The builder aims for a thickness that would be appropriate in the periphery and relies on the lattice to create strength elsewhere. Judgements regarding appropriate thickness of the soundboard and the design of the lattice are ultimately the result of experience with the method and the builder's goals. In this method, i'm guessing the shape of the scallop cut into the braces in the periphery is critical to tone.