I decided to throw together a mandolin using only pieces of wood I have lying around the place. I'm more concerned at this stage about learning the techniques involved in building instruments then the sound of the finished one. So far so good, but yesterday I glued the bracing to my, cue shock and horror, red deal soundboard! With, wait for it, red deal bracing
When I released the clamps this morning and gave it a tap I noticed a slight rattle at different parts of the board. The bracing seems to be tight all around the board, especially at the ends. There are the tiniest little gaps at places along the bracing, but I can't get say a sheet of paper under them, or through them.
I also wonder if it could be because I didn't take enough care in joining the two halves of the sound board together? I guess I can't ignore it could just be the result of using such poor wood in the first place.
Worst case scenario, I can simply remove the bracing and try again. I can also just cut up some new wood and try the whole thing again. I guess that's the nice thing about using scrap!
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