Workshop: Oscar Schmidt Bracing & Commentary Works

I received a rather rude comment about the above '20s Oscar Schmidt FHCM guitar, but it did lead me to take a look at the bracing on other Oscar Schmidt products hanging-around the workshop.


I'd been assuming most 0-sized Schmidts had the "normal" parlor bracing type from the time -- with one ladder brace above the soundhole, two below it and in front of the bridge, and one on the lower bout. It turns-out that I was confusing that with higher-end Oscar Schmidt builds as well as period Harmony and Kay instruments when I wrote-up the bit about the FHCM being "special" in only having two below the soundhole. It is special as regards its larger and longer bridgeplate, however.

It turns-out that of the four Schmidts awaiting repair over here, two have three below the soundhole and two have two below it. One is slightly longer in the body than the others, though, and one is a koa guitar that's not the "standard size" of this FHCM guitar and is a little smaller. The least-braced one is a tailpiece-design Schmidt of the same size and it even lacks a bridge-plate/strapping brace below the bridge.

I do make errors in my writeups and get confused about every last detail on old guitars. I try to get things right as much as time allows. I work on so many instruments of so many varying types that I can't keep that all in my brain for instant recall and from time to time it gets scrambled. Sometimes it's years between the time I work on one guitar of a certain maker and then sometimes I have a dozen of them all at the same time.

I really do appreciate it when people correct me, though. I'm very thankful to everyone that leaves extra information on the posts for others to find -- I don't have time to go back and correct everything I've written before. If I had to do that, I would spend half a year updating all of my old blog posts because in the meantime I've been bettering myself and growing in this work.

If you've met me in person, you know that I'm not a lecturer and every day of my job is more education for me and for my customers. If you ever feel like I'm misleading intentionally, just call me up and talk about it. I'm happy to change my mind!