Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 2, The Back

With the braces glued in it was time to shape the braces. Acoustic guitar bracing is complex and many guitars have differing patterns. This being my first attempt at a steel string guitar I am applying my experience with spruce to these braces. The truth is I will not find out if the way I have shaped these braces was successful until the first chord is played. The general locations are taken from plans. The material width, height, taper and shape are up to me. Personally, music is a round force, melodies are played, musicians improvise, then return to the root melody. This train of thought has influenced how these braces have been shaped. The back and side braces have rounded features. Many builders use triangular shaped braces. We'll hear many months from now if this was the right track.