I've just looked at the links above, and they don't really tell Cindy what she needs to know, so here's the way I see it: Guitars with scalloped braces are more responsive but less strong - they usually have more sustain and bass response, but using strings heavier than "lights" on a regular basis will cause the top to "belly out" over a few years. The use of light strings will normally give increased sustain over heavy strings, but the heavy strings will be louder. The general effect of a light top with scalloped braces is to give a guitar that is as loud on light strings as one which is not scalloped with medium strings. Generally, it depends on the style you play as to what you want - a scalloped top usually suits the fingerpicker better than the flatpicker - fast flatpicking can lose clarity and just sound jumbled up if the guitar is too responsive. If you like that "scalloped sound", it is also possible to get a guitar's braces shaved by a good repairman ( ie. scalloped without dismantling the guitar) This is a very tricky operation - don't try it yourself ! The best guitars with scalloped braces were made in Chicago before the war by the Larsen brothers, who worked under the names Maurer, Prairie State and Euphonen - if you want one of these, be prepared to pay $3k to $12k for one!
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