KMG 0M-12 Norman Blake

[Dave Bagwill]

I was looking at this stencil and wondering why Martin decided against tone bars, and went instead to that lateral, Larivee-type cross brace.
Any ideas why?

[John Link]

To create an artificial "difference" marketing could sell?

[Dave Bagwill]

I don't know. It could be something that Norman Blake insisted on.

[ken cierp]

To clarify -- the KMG 000 12th Norman Blake "style" is not intended to be a clone. This brings into discussion another phenomenon and that is how some folks at some of the other forums interject their well meaning but erroneous statement of facts. Most notably that the Norman Blake brace pattern is no different than any other Martin "000." I'll start by saying the perpendicular tone bar is my idea, it simply made sense. I see no benefit in an acoustic stand point in angling it one way or the other. But I think it may function better as a split preventing reinforcement especially with the bridge more or less centered in the lower bout.

Back to the internet buzz-- the fact is the "X" intersection and leg angle has to be different from other more "normal" "000's." The general design practice is to make sure the wings of the bridge are resting on the lower bout "X" legs. And at the same time we want the "X" intersection forward so it does defeat the plan to free up the lower bout diaphragm. Plus the bracing is 1/4" parabolic --- there you go, new internet fodder.

[Dave Bagwill]

I like it! I also noticed in a NB interview that a couple of his old guitars - Nick Lucas 1927's I think - had "H" bracing which he seemed to like a lot - and one facet of that bracing was a perpendicular brace like the one in Ken's interpretation.
I think that brace is an excellent idea - Larivee has something like it, and I have never understood the necessity of the angled and parallel tone bars, though of course they work just fine.

[ken cierp]

You bring up a good point Dave -- conventional lore would have you believe that THE Nick Lucas model is a L00 and 13th fretter at that. Actually over the years he has been photographed with a lot of different size and shaped guitars included the smallish L0 which, as you mention has the "H" brace pattern. We offer the stencil and the mold -- seems it would be a very neat "parlor size" project.