GardMan
Enlightened Member
I spent some time this weekend doing my semi-annual guitar cleaning and string swap on six of my dreads (I swapped strings on the G-37 in Oct, so decided it could wait). While the strings were off, I stuck my smaller camera into the body and snapped some pics of each to document the different bracing ...mostly showing the different shapes of the tone bars. Thought some of you might be interested...
1971 D-44 (pearwood).
This one came to me with a split end block and top crack. Someone had tried to glue them, but missed... you can see the glue residue on the sides. I had both glued and cleated, and the repairs are visible (large plate on the tailblock and top cleats between end of the tone bar and X-brace). If you look closely beyond the shadow of the bridge plate, you can also see a faint glue line... that, the smaller size, and the diagnonal grain of the bridge plate are evidence that it is a replacement (done before I got her). A very clean repair (tho' a lot of "tear out" when he drilled the pin holes!). Note that the tone bars taper gradually in height towards their peripheral end (compare them to the next pic showing my D-35).
1972 D-35 (flat mahogany back)
The tone bars have a more constant profile along their length (maybe a slight taper in height?), and the end taper is straight. The bridgeplate appears to be maple.
1974 D-25M (arched mahogany back)
The tone bars have a consistent profile along their length, but the ends are "scooped" instead of straight (compare to D-35 in previous pic). The bridgeplate appears to be rosewood (or mahogany?).
1976 D-50 (rosewood)
Notably, the tone bars and X-braces appear to be "shaved," beginning about half-way along their length. I don't know if this was done at the factory, or to voice the guitar after it left the factory. I'd appreciate it if anyone with a D-50 from the same period (say, '75 - '80) could look and let me know if theirs have a similar appearance. Rosewoodbridge plate. You can see stains where super glue I used to seal the hairlin crack in the bridge wicked down the pn holes to the bridge plate.
1981 D-46 (ash)
"Standard" profile tone bars. Large rosewood bridgeplate. No cloth side reinforcements. Note the bright reflection from the screw-on end pin (replacing the end-pin jack it had when I acquired her).
1992 D-55 (rosewood)
Scalloped X-braces and tone bars. Rosewood strip side reinforcements (none visible in this pic; others are cloth, D-46 has none). Note the two piece end block (edit 21Jan10: In looking more closely at the pics from Jazzmang, I now realize that the endblock on my D-55 isn't two pieces... it simply has a thin strip of veneer glued across the grain as a reinforcement). Note the pin holes are set farther back in the large maple bridge plate.
Dave
1971 D-44 (pearwood).
This one came to me with a split end block and top crack. Someone had tried to glue them, but missed... you can see the glue residue on the sides. I had both glued and cleated, and the repairs are visible (large plate on the tailblock and top cleats between end of the tone bar and X-brace). If you look closely beyond the shadow of the bridge plate, you can also see a faint glue line... that, the smaller size, and the diagnonal grain of the bridge plate are evidence that it is a replacement (done before I got her). A very clean repair (tho' a lot of "tear out" when he drilled the pin holes!). Note that the tone bars taper gradually in height towards their peripheral end (compare them to the next pic showing my D-35).
1972 D-35 (flat mahogany back)
The tone bars have a more constant profile along their length (maybe a slight taper in height?), and the end taper is straight. The bridgeplate appears to be maple.
1974 D-25M (arched mahogany back)
The tone bars have a consistent profile along their length, but the ends are "scooped" instead of straight (compare to D-35 in previous pic). The bridgeplate appears to be rosewood (or mahogany?).
1976 D-50 (rosewood)
Notably, the tone bars and X-braces appear to be "shaved," beginning about half-way along their length. I don't know if this was done at the factory, or to voice the guitar after it left the factory. I'd appreciate it if anyone with a D-50 from the same period (say, '75 - '80) could look and let me know if theirs have a similar appearance. Rosewoodbridge plate. You can see stains where super glue I used to seal the hairlin crack in the bridge wicked down the pn holes to the bridge plate.
1981 D-46 (ash)
"Standard" profile tone bars. Large rosewood bridgeplate. No cloth side reinforcements. Note the bright reflection from the screw-on end pin (replacing the end-pin jack it had when I acquired her).
1992 D-55 (rosewood)
Scalloped X-braces and tone bars. Rosewood strip side reinforcements (none visible in this pic; others are cloth, D-46 has none). Note the two piece end block (edit 21Jan10: In looking more closely at the pics from Jazzmang, I now realize that the endblock on my D-55 isn't two pieces... it simply has a thin strip of veneer glued across the grain as a reinforcement). Note the pin holes are set farther back in the large maple bridge plate.
Dave