zombywoof Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 Having not been able to find the photos of my 1942 J-50 when it was in pieces I have been meaning to try and get photos of the inside. Just curious I guess. Problem is in my hurry to get strings on the guitar I kept forgetting. I finally got around to it today. Certainly not great shots but they are nonetheless kind of interesting (if you care about such things). The image in my head of a typical scalloped X brace is the Brooklyn Bridge - roughly two tall humps with a long dip in between them. The '42 version of scalloping ain't even close. Basically the braces have a long taper which then terminates in a very slight uptick just before it hits the kerfing. Here Ya Go. As is hard not to notice a whole of repairs are evident. This guitar was close to being a basket case when I stumbled on it. For comparison here is the modern Gibson take on top bracing. Nothing even remotely herky jerky about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 Hey Zombie, thanks for sharing. Just to make sure I'm taking it in right, what we're looking at is an 'x' bracing, yours on a '42 J50, then a current J50? Either way, both are 'x' bracing, similar although with differences. Another bracing I've heard people talk of is 'ladder' bracing. No chance you've got a pic of that around... and thoughts on one vs the other with respect to tone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 If I was into naming guitars, I would call that one Cletus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 18, 2018 Author Share Posted August 18, 2018 Hey Zombie, thanks for sharing. Just to make sure I'm taking it in right, what we're looking at is an 'x' bracing, yours on a '42 J50, then a current J50? Either way, both are 'x' bracing, similar although with differences. Another bracing I've heard people talk of is 'ladder' bracing. No chance you've got a pic of that around... and thoughts on one vs the other with respect to tone? The bracing in the first two photos is from my 1942 J-50. It s kind of a parabolic bracing without the parabola (if that makes any sense). The last photo is one I found of a Bozeman-made J-45. The thing about comparing sound is there really is no standard for Gibsons built in the 1940s. Different hands sometimes using different tools while a part was considered finished when it looked "close enough". What distinguishes my '42 is the low end. It has been described as being able to send a pre-War Martin D-28 running for cover. At one point I had a 1930s J-35 in the house which was the non-scalloped X brace, three un-scalloped tone bar version. That guitar had to be the most midrangey Gibson I had ever played. Ladder bracing is basically just braces stretching the full width of the guitar and often including the bridge plate. It got bad rapped for many years by soundhole sniffers who only associated it with el cheapo guitars produced by the Chicago jobbers. They were certainly not much when it came to harmonics. What really cuased folks to change the perceptions was the internet and the sudden realization that the great blues players of the 1920s and 1930s Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Blake, Charlie Patton, Leadbelly and others - were all playing ladder braced guitars, particularly those built by Oscar Schmidt. The secret was out and my days of being able to score these guitars on the cheap were at an end. Today a 12 string Schmidt or Holazapfel Jumbo 12 string can run you north of $12K while Collings, Todd Cambrio (Fraulini), Mike Hauver, and others are all building ladder braced guitars based on instruments from the 1920s and 1930s. Here is a diagram of a 1920s Schmidt bracing. I believe it was Stefan Grossman who did the drawing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 18, 2018 Author Share Posted August 18, 2018 If I was into naming guitars, I would call that one Cletus Sure are enough of those things in there ain't there. The guy who restored it is a second generation luthier who is best known for working on pre-War Martins. He has, however, also worked on his fair share of Banners over the decades. What he told me though was my guitar was very lightly built. Some of those cleats are apparently there for reinforcement. I guess he was just antsy about the joinery. He racked it up to being just luck of the draw and probably the result of unskilled hands cutting everything a bit too close to the bone. He also said though it was part of the reason this guitar sounded like it did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Here is a diagram of a 1920s Schmidt bracing. I believe it was Stefan Grossman who did the drawing. Thank you sir! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Very cool, zomby.. Love these threads ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Good post! My '42 J-45 shares some of the same traits you mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 Thank you sir! No problem. What has always struck me is how everything manages to come around again. There was a time when folks looked down their noses at 12 fret necks and slotheads. Today they are being sought ought. No problem other than popularity jacks prices up. Add to that the information now available on the internet turning everybody into an expert and I will no longer be snagging any more Schmidt 12 string Stellas at flea markets for $10 any time soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvi Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 love this type of post so thank you ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cabarone Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 You just never know what you'll learn here...thanks, 'woof! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted August 21, 2018 Author Share Posted August 21, 2018 You just never know what you'll learn here...thanks, 'woof! Rumor is that John Thomas will be publishing the collection x-rays he has had taken of guitars over the years. These things are surprisingly beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 Rumor is that John Thomas will be publishing the collection x-rays he has had taken of guitars over the years. These things are surprisingly beautiful. Make a great picture framed on the wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 I'd like to add that most (if not all?) flatops Gibson made and branded as ”Kalamazoo” in the 1930’s and 40’s were ladder braced. I think these are incredibly cool guitars, and a good way to get a great vintage Gibson made guitar for less money. Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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