ow I make a Banjo Killer with forward X bracing
 Banjos are loud! I build them, and I love to play them, but in a bluegrass band their volume is tough for a guitar to compete with. That's why I build my Sams Guitars to be Banjo Killers: using forward X bracing to make them louder. Here’s the story:
In mid-1938 Martin relocated their X braces, moving them back away from the soundhole by about half an inch. This reduced problems with warping behind the bridge, because it stiffened the top — but it lowered the volume of the guitars.
Many builders today, myself included, prefer the original “forward” X bracing. I recommend it for players who will be playing in a group. Here’s how to lay out forward X bracing on our Dreadnought Guitar Kit.
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The gray areas at left show typical modern bracing, and the white shows the forward X bracing. The center of the X joint moves closer to the soundhole, but you can see that it’s not as simple as just sliding everything forward 1/2".
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The X braces are at a slightly different angle, changing from 98° to 100°.
The gap between the soundhole to the front edge of the X joint, (not the centerpoint of the joint) becomes 1".
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ow to do it:
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1. Make a mark on the centerline 1" below the soundhole.
2. From this mark, draw lines at a 50° angle into the lower body bout areas. With a straightedge, extend these lines onto the upper body. (The two lines at 50° angles to the left and right of center create the 100° X angle.
3. Add a parallel line 5/16" below each line. Your X braces are glued in the 5/16" space between these parallel lines.
4. The four small “finger” braces will keep their relationship to the X braces, just moving forward along with them by 1/2".
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