Diagonal Back Brace on Upright Bass

[amuri]

Hey all!

I recently had a pretty major overhaul on my upright, I had the back bars removed and a single diagonal brace installed. This was all done at Boston Bass Works, by master luthier Michael Hartery.

Ive had a lot of work done by Michael, all contributing to furthering the quality of my upright. This back brace really did wonders! It's opened up the sound by letting the bass work with its self, and not fight against dead spots that kill vibration and frequencies. Its a wonder to play, I can feel ever note ring through my bass clearer than ever. It lightened it up a little too, which let it project more and be more precise in its attacks.

The picture should show what the final result was. His work is flawless! Any one in the boston area, or around that needs work should seriously stop in and have a chat with Michael.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56467664@N04/5217180478/

Let me know what you think! And if your interested in this procedure, definitely check out Boston Bass Works!

[JtheJazzMan]

So does the soundpost sit on it, and was that the case before as well?

Thats quite a chunk of wood - much more than I was expecting to see.

[drurb]

For some time, Eric Roy over at Upton has been using a "propeller wing" diagonal brace on the Karr models. In his case, the brace was developed in collaboration with Jim Hamm, Karr's luthier.

[George700DL]

Originally Posted by amuri

Hey all!

I recently had a pretty major overhaul on my upright, I had the back bars removed and a single diagonal brace installed. This was all done at Boston Bass Works, by master luthier Michael Hartery.

Ive had a lot of work done by Michael, all contributing to furthering the quality of my upright. This back brace really did wonders! It's opened up the sound by letting the bass work with its self, and not fight against dead spots that kill vibration and frequencies. Its a wonder to play, I can feel ever note ring through my bass clearer than ever. It lightened it up a little too, which let it project more and be more precise in its attacks.

The picture should show what the final result was. His work is flawless! Any one in the boston area, or around that needs work should seriously stop in and have a chat with Michael.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56467664@N04/5217180478/

Let me know what you think! And if your interested in this procedure, definitely check out Boston Bass Works!

How big were the original braces? Just looking at the photo, and the brighter areas where the old braces used to be, it doesn't seem like the new diagonal brace would have made things too much lighter (physically) unless those old braces were really high. But of course you know the best since one can't always tell from pictures alone.

I was considering doing this on my bass as well (plywood flat back, carved top), but my current braces are quite thin already and it doesn't look like the diagonal brace of this size would reduce any weight in my case.

George

[amuri]

Originally Posted by George700DL

How big were the original braces? Just looking at the photo, and the brighter areas where the old braces used to be, it doesn't seem like the new diagonal brace would have made things too much lighter (physically) unless those old braces were really high. But of course you know the best since one can't always tell from pictures alone.

I was considering doing this on my bass as well (plywood flat back, carved top), but my current braces are quite thin already and it doesn't look like the diagonal brace of this size would reduce any weight in my case.

George

The original braces were really blocky, and very thick (and poorly glued on with carpenters glue!). There were 3 original braces, all going horizontal. The new brace is rather thin, and its width lets the soundpost have more room for movement incase you want to experiment with placement.

One of the biggest reasons it helped with the sound so much is because its running almost completely with the grain, so doesn't act as a mute, and more as a continuation for the sound to travel. In the end it probably weighs not too much less than the old bracing, but the orientation adds so much to the sound that it would out weigh any weight gain issues.

~Alex

[George700DL]

Originally Posted by amuri

The original braces were really blocky, and very thick (and poorly glued on with carpenters glue!). There were 3 original braces, all going horizontal. The new brace is rather thin, and its width lets the soundpost have more room for movement incase you want to experiment with placement.

One of the biggest reasons it helped with the sound so much is because its running almost completely with the grain, so doesn't act as a mute, and more as a continuation for the sound to travel. In the end it probably weighs not too much less than the old bracing, but the orientation adds so much to the sound that it would out weigh any weight gain issues.

~Alex

That all makes sense, thanks.

[bassrome]

Jim Hamm discussed this at the VSA bass luthier week at Oberlin this summer. He creates a circular area in the diagonal brace under the soundpost. His main reason for using a diagonal brace was to minimize cracks due to the difference of shrinkage between spruce and maple. He pointed out that this is how acoustic guitars are braced. It makes sense that it also allows the back to vibrate more freely.

Jack Hill