How much do x-brace inlets really matter?

[Dave Bagwill]

If you are going to inlet the x-braces, and I realize that some people are not doing it because of a perceived freeing-up of soundboard movement - if you are, though, inletting in order to keep the brace ends from peeling off (are there other considerations I'm missing?) why not take those ends down as thin as you can, and just make sure the kerfing is pressing them into the rim? How thin could we (safely) go? And really, is peeling that much of a problem?

(That first sentence resembles the writing of Henry James, which is not a good thing since he irritates the puddin' out of me. Ever tried to read "The Ambassadors"? :-))

[ken cierp]

Yep -- shaving the ends paper thin works fine. I like/recomend making the pockets to help locating the sound board during the gluing process.

[Dave Bagwill]

The notches DO help a lot in locating while gluing.
Is it fair to say that, unless the kerfing is making contact with the top of the brace, that the notch is serving no structural function at all?
For you repair guys - is peeling of the braces an actual problem that you have observed, or would we really be just as well off without inletting at all, just making sure we have a good glue joint, brace to top?

[TonyinNYC]

I have heard that peeling was a problem, but I am not a repair guy. However, I can say that if your pockets for the shoulder brace, a.k.a. upper transverse brace, a.k.a. whatever else you wish to call it, if the pockets are nice and tight, that is all you need to locate the top. For insurance, you can use small locating pins drilled into the neck block through the sound board, and also do the same at the tail block.

[Dave Bagwill]

Yeah. It is the peeling that concerns me; if it is a pseudo-problem, I will stop inletting all-together but for the UTB. I suppose I'd better research it further.

[TonyinNYC]

This probably wont help you make the decision, but I was emailing with Bruce Sexauer a while back about inletting the braces and he is all for it. In fact, he inlets every brace except for the popcicle. Finger braces, x-brace, shoulder, tone bars, etc. Nothing ends before the linings, and his guitars are considered by many, to be phenomenal. He does it for strength, and to prevent a bump from knocking a brace loose, but he said he believes it adds to the tone. So....there is that little gem to ponder.

[Dave Bagwill]

Ponder it I shall.