Fred Carlson Dreadnautilus bracing

[Dave Bagwill]

If you just look at the black lines I've drawn, the bracing system does make sense. BTW the bridge is pinless.

He claims that adding the red line braces made a HUGE difference in sound and volume. This is actually pretty tame for him!

[Dave Bagwill]

Well this looks like he dropped a bunch of sticks, but actually there was a method to this madness. No I will not be trying this. Maybe Herman will?

[Kevin in California]

Oh I'm all over that bracing...........NOT! It does remind me of when I was a kid playing pic up sticks. :)

Kevin

[Dave Bagwill]

That's right, a fun game! But when bracing gets to 3 count 'em 3 layers, I'm outta my league entirely.

[John Parchem]

sort of kasha like bracing.

I know Kasha had a method for working out each brace. I wonder what Fred's guiding principles are as he is placing the braces. Do his instruments sound good?

[Dave Bagwill]

Never heard anything bad about them - he builds a lot of instruments and I've heard he is a very good luthier.
I was trying to figure out what the bracing on a Ruan - a circular moon-shaped instrument - would be like, so googling led me to this roundish instrument of Fred's - the one at the top of this post - and I can see the sense of it.