Loose brace
A section of the internal bracing under the soundboard that has come away from the top, allowing the plate to move and buzz.
Bracing gives the top its strength and shapes its resonance, and a brace that has parted from the soundboard over even part of its length produces a tell-tale rattle, usually audible on one or two specific notes and often mistaken for a fret problem. Diagnosis means feeling inside the instrument, or using a mirror and a light, while tapping the top and listening. The repair is to clean the joint and glue and clamp the brace back, which restores both the structure and the sound.
Example: An acoustic guitar that rattles on one particular bass note, with the rattle apparently coming from inside the body, may have a loose brace.
See also
Related
- PageBracing
- PageSoundboard
- PageTop crack
- PageAction gauge
- PageAged finish
- PageBack bow
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley