jimmyboy Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 I have a songwriter deluxe ec standard and from spec on Gibson website. It has 1930's advanced bracing with andirondeck wood.What's the history of this type of bracing and which model has used the same kind of bracing besides the songwriter? Is it big difference between this one and the J-45? It got me curious because I'm sure they don't have a songwriter back in the 30's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Isn't that the bracing on the J45-TV and the AJs? I think this bracing is forward shifted some, as well as scalloped. Someone here has diagrams of the different bracings. I hope they post it here; I wish I remembered where their post was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 What the guitar has is bracing laid out in a 1930s footprint or patterm. The bracing itself is Ren Ferguson designed. So while the footprint may follow what was done in the past the way it is scalloped is not the same as what you will find in guitars built in the 1930s and 1940s and certsainly not even in the ballpark of what you found in any Gibson built after 1955. Then again, prior to 1950,Gibson bracing is not exctly what you can call consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modoc_333 Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Zombywoof is dead on. the X is more open on this pattern compared to a J45 (or the Songwriter Dlx Studio for that matter). Zomby is right about it being just inspired by a 30s AJ pattern. basically, a J45 Standard is braced a little heavier in the top with a more closed X and lighter in the back compared to the AJ pattern. -Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyboy Posted August 5, 2015 Author Share Posted August 5, 2015 Wait a minute.I though studio and standard has the same bracing pattern except for the material (Sitka vs. Andirondeck).And it was a newly designed by Ren Ferguson not like vintage Gibson bracing pattern? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modoc_333 Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 nope. standard and custom have the same. studio is braced more heavily. and what Ren designed was following the plan of vintage Gibsons. but they were all over the place. there is no single vintage Gibson pattern. Even if there were, Ren's design gives more consistent results. All of the vintage vibe and tone, less of the problems. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wee Davy Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 Does the same apply to the Hummingbird Pro? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 Bracing is voiced to a pitch. In the best archtops, each brace may actually be tuned to a different pitch. As Modoc pointed out the bracing was all over the place in Gibsons. It is not to be unexpected as the bracing was carved by hand. Today with all of their precise machinery, Gibson can get it spot on with the handwork coming into finishing the scalloping after the pre-cut bracing is installed. So while there will be subtle differences it is far more standardized. My take on it is the Ren designed bracing is vintage "inspired." To my ears, what separates the 1940s J-45s from the J-45 TV is the lower end. You will find older guitars that have a deeper bottom with more rumble to it. Not all of them but they are out there. For whatever reason you do not run into it much after 1950 though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modoc_333 Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 Does the same apply to the Hummingbird Pro? it is listed on their website as having the 30s style like the Songwriter Dlx Standard and Custom -Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 Again I believe 1930s style refers only to the footprint. It has nothing to do with, as example, how aggressive the scalloping is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phelonious Ponk Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Again I believe 1930s style refers only to the footprint. It has nothing to do with, as example, how aggressive the scalloping is. I think that would have to be true, given the inconsistency of Gibson bracing in the 30s. The AJ-style bracing became very popular at Gibson under Ren, finding it's way into several of their standard products, the TVs, and quite a few custom shop runs. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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