"X" MARKS THE SPOT
Early Variations of X - Bracing
C. F. Martin 1840's Spanish Size 1, Style 28
This Martin has what I believe is the first variation of X-bracing, which appears at about the same time on a handful of Martin and Schmidt & Maul Guitars, most likely in the 1840's. One such Schmidt & Maul is dated 1845.
Schmidt & Maul
Schmidt and Maul were early employees of C.F. Martin in New York, who began to make the very similar Schmidt and Maul guitars in New York after Martin moved to Cherry Hill, Pennsylvania in 1839.
This Schmidt and Maul has another early variation of X bracing.
This top photo shows a fan coming from the soundhole.
The second photo shows an X, at the bride plate end, on the treble side.
And this third photo shows the brace crossing the center from the treble side only. Unlike another example of an early Martin with a double X, the bracing on this guitar is not symmetrical. This is another unique example of a variety of early X bracing. This example does not have another shorter brace forming another X on the bass side.
It's interesting that the two year earlier Schmidt & Maul at Lark Street Music, as well as my Martin above with the same pattern, includes part of a fan in the design while this later one includes an entire fan in the design. And the earlier Lark St. and my Martin above include an entire large X.
The Schmidt & Maul in Washburn & Johnston is from a year later than this one, and is possibly the first of these with the fully developed X pattern as we now know it. If that's true, that could pin down the date of the present style X on a Schmidt & Maul to late 1846 or 1847.
These are the variations of X bracing we now know of:
-the half fan/half X on the Lark St. 1845 Schmidt & Maul and on the hybrid-X Martin above.
-the fan with an X on the treble side on this 1847 Schmidt & Maul.
-the double X on my friend Peter's Martin
-the diamond around the bridge plate on the Martin that showed up on the Martin Guitar Forum
-the modern X design on the 1848 Schmidt & Maul in Washburn & Johnston.
None of the Martins are dated, so we still don't know who did which X first.
Scalloped and Tapered Braces
I remember first hearing about pre-war Martins, and how they had "scalloped" braces that were different from the contemporary "straight" braces, in that they were contoured to make them lighter weight. Only relatively recently has it become common knowledge that the first "straight" braces made after the transition from scalloped braces in 1945 were actually tapered, which made them lighter than later straight braces.
Noticing that 1945 Martins have a wonderful, distinct, punchy sound, I've investigated further, and discovered that the tapered braces in 1945 were unique, having a slimmer taper than in the years until tapered braces were phased out in the late forties, giving these guitars their distinctive sound.
Tapered Martin Braces in 1945
1945 D-18
Tapered Martin Braces in 1946, which are much rounder than in 1945.
1946 000-18
earlymartin.com
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