Acoustic Guitar Construction

I queried Michael Collins - maker of gypsy guitars - about chladni testing of those ladder-braced instruments. He tests each and every one of his tops using the method that he learned from the tap-tuning dvd by Al Carruth, which only showed x-braced tops being tested.

BTW I now have the equipment to do that testing and will be using it on my student Eric's L-00 ziri/redwood.

I read that Don Teeter came up with thinning the perimeter of the sound board as an alternative to trying to shave braces through the sound hole which was very a popular alteration at one time. So much so that Tom Rebbeke invented the tail block door to get at the bracing. Yes he has a patent.