Tap Tone

[Mr. Preston Swift]

I've read a lot of info on building acoustics but there is little on tap tone. Everyone keeps saying keep shaping the braces until you get to where it sounds good to you. I'm a little confused with what to listen for when tapping. To get a nice evenly balanced sound of a nice sounding acoustic what should the tapping sound like?

[fryovanni]

I've read a lot of info on building acoustics but there is little on tap tone. Everyone keeps saying keep shaping the braces until you get to where it sounds good to you. I'm a little confused with what to listen for when tapping. To get a nice evenly balanced sound of a nice sounding acoustic what should the tapping sound like?

Go have a look around at the OLF. There are a lot of topics on the subject.

If you really want to develop a fair understanding of how bracing works, I would suggest you look to classic X brace patterns. There is probably more info on that pattern than any other. That way you can visualize what purpose areas of the bracing basically serve. When you can understand that with pretty good clarity your tapping will become a more meaningful tool.

You will find that the most common explanation of what to look for when tapping is that you want to make the tap sound musical and balanced based on your understanding of what each area is doing. Then carve the bracing down till you lose that musical ring. Concept being the free top will tighten back up when attached to the rim, bringing the musical ring back (stiffin it back up). This is not an exacting science, and you will not find a set of absolute rules to follow.

Peace,Rich