55threenote

[Bryan Davis]

Can anyone explain to me the difference in x-bracing compared to tone bars in volume ,tone and sustain in the sound of a mandolin.

[fatt-dad]

I think you are going to get a lot of opinions, but few facts. Folks have opinions for sure. I have an a5 with parallel tone bars, I have an a5 with x-braced tone bars and I have a Cohen, which has some hybrid "wacky" tone bars. Fact is all mandolins need tone bars, all builders position and carve them differently and then there's the wood. Now in a production run (i.e., where these differences are addressed in a factory setting, you probably can hear some differences. Not sure it's a reflection on the tone bar configuration or whether it's a reflection on the separate manufacturing processes. Don't know. I'm interested in what other's have to say though. . .

f-d

[fredfrank]

The only difference I can testify to is that tone bar mandolins take longer to open up than x-braced. I have no science to back this up, just personal experience.

I have have also heard that while x-braced mandolins sound better sooner, they tend to change for the worse as time goes on. Tone bar mandolins are rumored to grow stronger as time goes on, and will continue to do so. Again, no science, just opinion.

These anecdotal staements have proven to be true of all the mandolins I have owned. My experience may not be the same as others, however, and should not be construed to be fact.

[FLATROCK HILL]

Go to the search site window and type in 'Bracing' (search titles only). You'll find lots of information/opinions there and lots of answers to your questions.

There are quite a few opinions as to which style is better, or worse or more stable or more likely suffer a degradation in sound quality over the years. There's very little agreement there.

The most interesting theme (to me)that permiates those threads is the notion that X-bracing sounds better from the get-go, whereas tonebar-bracing takes time to open up. That idea is pretty much universally accepted. But...

Go to the threads that discuss the reality of the 'opening up' phenomena and you'll find a boat-load of members here who say there's no such thing.

[Bryan Davis]

Thanks guys for the opinions on the tone bars in a mandolin. I have never owned a mandolin with x-bracing. Had been told that x-bracing gave a better chop and brought out the lows better.

[almeriastrings]

Worth noting that "The Loar" LM-700 has no bracing or tone bars whatsoever.

In general, you tend to get a bit more bias towards the low end with X-Bracing, and more mid-high range 'punch' or 'cut' with tone bars, but there are many other variables in play. Maker, materials, other design factors, etc.

[FLATROCK HILL]

I recently acquired a mid-eighties Weber Fern (from a Cafe member) that is X-braced. From what I can tell so far, it has 'punch', 'cut', and a pretty respectable lower end tone too.
My goal now is to learn to play it.

[allenhopkins]

Would help not to start another thread just using your "screen name" in the "title" block. Probably creating a dozen threads just labeled "55threenote" will cause even more confusion than we're dealing with now -- I for one am easily confused…

You can just add a "thank you" post to your existing thread, rather than starting a whole new one, and I guess i'll suggest to the moderators that this one-post thread be consolidated with the first thread. And I'd suggest to you that you title future threads with the subject you want to discuss, not just with your ID.

[MikeEdgerton]

I merged the two threads.