I got a look inside a $20,000 Humphrey the other day.

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a_arnold

Posts: 558
Joined: Jul. 30 2006

I got a look inside a $20,000 Humphr...

The top bracing was definitely non-Torres. Three Torres-style braces near the center of the lower bout, and then 3 more short braces on either side the fan out from an axis parallel to the cross-braces on the back. These 3 top braces on either side of the lower bout looked like a chicken footprint with the heel facing the centerline of the top. The chicken-foot brace pieces were about 2" long.

The 3 central Torres-style braces were almost parallel, and looked like they would do nothing to stop the (EXTREMELY thin) cedar top from splitting or flexing. In fact, the bridge was the only structural element that would stop flex about the centerline of an unmounted top.

All the braces had a thin piece of graphite laminated on the top surface.

Although the top was WAY too thin to stand a golpe, and the elevated neck was incompatible with flamenco, the bracing pattern was interesting and maybe applicable to flamenco. Anybody here ever used it?

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 18 2010 4:45:06

aarongreen

Posts: 367
Joined: Jan. 16 2004

RE: I got a look inside a $20,000 Hu... (in reply to a_arnold)

Tom was constantly trying out different bracing patterns although the one you describe sounds like the one he used in the early 90's. There is a drawing of that pattern in the Sheldon Urlik book. The carbon fiber is something he was doing towards the end of his life so if the guitar is that old then it most likely was retrofit, although with Tom you never know, he may have tried that back in the 90's and stopped for some reason. He was a very interesting guy, always experimenting and still manged to have a very consistent sound.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 18 2010 4:51:36