Well, I've got a little update here on the Ditson sisters.
The ladder braced one is still holding it's shape, slight dip and slight belly, but it doesn't appear to be worsening. And it sounds great. I did change it out to extra light strings, 11 to 50s, and as I keep saying, it's a joy to play.
Now the x braced one has been feeling kind of left out. I keep trying it, and it's not bad, but it's not getting any play time, the ladder is that much better.
So up pops Ed's thread on how do you get more mid-range, feelings are hurt, tempers rise, but some very interesting theorizing going on. I'm listening and learning, then Scott van Linge shows up and shares his experiences with us. I go to his website, read "Sound is Round", print out and study all the posts, start plucking and strumming trying to feel the vibrations from collective and individual strings. Study Scotts analysis of Heshs bracing, etc.
What I find is, it's hard to feel the vibrations all over the top as Scott describes them. I can find some, and most are faint. So I print a picture of my bracing and compare it to Heshs bracing with Scotts critique, and see, that if Scott thinks Heshs is over-braced in places, then mine is way over-braced. So, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I pull off the strings, and go in with the small plane and sandpaper and carve away. Trying to match what Scott has posted from his experiences, to what I'm feeling with my arms, (one at a time), wedged into the box.
After a couple of hours, I string it back up and?
It's amazing! X-braced Ditson has come alive! It vibrated all over the top, I can trace the notes vibrating in patterns as Scott has described. I don't claim to have done a perfect job, or have it all figured out yet, and I need to go back in and smooth things up, but it's night and day different.
Now, I can't figure out which one to play!
And there is a slight difference in the sound of each, but not enough that one is better than the other, and it might just be string weight. The ladder has x-lights, the x has lights on it. But they are both quiveringly alive!
Now from past experience, I have never liked light strings, or light weight picks. I normally play mediums and use an extra heavy pick. This x braced responds very well to bare fingers, and something I don't understand is, a heavy attack with a heavy pick doesn't overwhelm it, and a light pick makes it sound strong also. Scott describes this in his posting, about getting his guitar to just be able to rise to being hammered, it's amazing, he's got the goods!
And what I'm figuring out is, I've always played over-braced guitars, that require heavy strings and a extra heavy pick to get the over-built top to move. It's a new world!
I wish I could get some good pictures from inside the guitar to compare the bracing to what it was before. I tried but it just didn't work.
So, the only thing we have to fear is over-bracing! Well, and the occasional implosion of course.
But hey, we like working on guitars remember! And believe me the sound and joy of playing a guitar that is truly alive is worth it!
Thank you Scott,
Joe
