Jim53

Thanks guys, The pics are helpful. A few are almost exactly what I've got. I agree that it's probably overkill. That said, the top is very flat. The guitar sounds pretty good but not as good as a late model Boseman i had a number of years ago and nowhere near as good as my 2006 Martin D-28 Standard. Also, the added wood doesn't make it much heavier than the Martin. Looking closer, I can see a gap between the brace and the top, each brace resting on the X braces. The bolts are directly pressed against the top so that if one were to loosen them a bit, whatever change it makes to the bowing of the top would be eliminated. I'm going to try loosening them a bit to see what happens. I'll post results if I get around to doing it anytime soon. So, the double X bracing is unusual, eh? I take it from the comments, not a good thing. Still, I got a pretty good deal on the HB and I've been happy with it. Arthritis is making it harder to play narrow necks so am in the market for a nice guitar with a 1 3/4" nut width or greater. Thanks again for the comments. Really helpful!!

I should have asked if this was the normal way a bridge was attached. Not really about the bracing. Sorry.

Hello folks, I'm thinking about selling this 1979 HB and was doing some inspecting so as to be able to describe it accurately. Upon looking inside, I was reminded of this bracing which I had never seen before in any model of acoustic guitar. It's prompted me to ask if this is some kind of weird DIY fix-it or if it is typical of the way HBs of this vintage were made. I've just never seen so much lumber inside a guitar before.😊 Here's a pic of the bracing and of the overall HB. Any help is greatly appreciated. -Jim