This is a pattern I'd been thinking about for a while and tried it out on a Black Oak/Spruce. I think this method of reducing mass leaves a stiffer brace with maybe even less mass than scalloping... no scientific tests, I just looks like it does. The darker braces are a very tight grain Redwood. The guitar came out with a very nice bass and maybe too pronounced treble.
It's not my idea... I saw something similar on Ryan Guitars site maybe... I forget. Fox Hollow Guitars does something like this on some of their's also. Sorry some of the pics are so fuzzy... poor photographer.
