I came across an interesting discussion the other day regarding tapered bracing. I wasn't familiar with this term. But from the discussion this was the definition: "the bracing starts at max height at the center X and gradually tapers downward to near zero height at the guitar's edge." So instead of me calling some Larrivee instruments (D-03R) non-scalloped braced, should I be using this term? Is my Larrivee D-03R a tapered braced instrument? The writer extoled the midrange of this bracing system along with its clarity of note separation and sustain. I get this from my D-30R also. When I compare this with my D-40R I find the top end range of my D-40R seems to have more presence. I don't know if this is because the D-40R is 3 years old and is played every day and the D-30R is relatively new. Does one bracing system favor the upper limits of the instrument?

Please give us the link to the interesting discussion to which you refer, since you are posing questions related to that.
Mike

I saw the discussion on AGF but I personally feel it's mostly relevant when all other things are equal. Such as two guitars by the same maker, same scale, same top wood, same body size, and you have the scalloped vs non option. The height and width of braces have a big impact too so it's a matter of, do I care about the method or the result? The fewer variables you have the more the method can be heard in the result so this is why it's a popular discussion with Martin players. 40 series Larrivees kinda get into that territory but I feel the non symmetrical aspect can be just as influential as that's your bass/treble relationship.

High frequencies are largely affected by stiffness and by the perception of the lows. I would not say it's because of scalloped braces but the culmination of a number of things. I'm curious to know how others here feel about theirs. I used to see a lot of people saying they got more bass with the 40 but recently some have commented on the highs.

Also, I don't think tapered was a good choice of words in that AGF thread (as evidenced by the responses in the thread).

Quote from: B0WIE on April 21, 2025, 10:25:46 PMI saw the discussion on AGF

Now I know it came from AGF, I found it and read it.
I feel embarrassed. I should have known better.
Mike

William,

I don't know if this is the video you're referencing in your first post. If you go to Bryan Kimsey's YouTube channel, he has a 30 minute video where he shares his thoughts on the differences between tapered and scalloped bracing. In the video, he compares two Martin D-18s from the 70s that are about 1,000 serial numbers apart. Bryan is an interesting, humble guy, a luthier and a great flatpicker who has made a name for himself modifying 70's era Martins.

I've always referred to my D-35 as having straight bracing and my OM-35 as having scalloped bracing. Both of these guitars are spruce and rosewood with a gloss finish and use 1/4" top bracing instead of the 5/16" bracing that was typically used on Martin dreadnoughts. I can't comment on Larrivee Dreadnoughts or their use of Rosewood since I don't own either. Each of my Larrivee six string guitars has a satin finish, 12 fret neck, different scale length (24", 25.5" and 24.9"), different body shape (parlor, LSV, 00) and different wood combinations (Sitka/Flamed Maple, Moonwood/Walnut and all Mahogany).