The back is glued first to facilitate cleanup of any small bits of glue:
Charles insists on absolutely clean workmanship, even inside the body:
Look closely at the linings:
They're a two-part design, with solid reinforcement along the full interior face of the kerfing. This reinforcement gives the sides incredible rigidity, and "isolates" the vibrations of the top and back, says Jon.
The top bracing is a unique design:
Each intersection is reinforced at the joint:
The "double X" braces are made up in a special form, and are very easy to align in the special clamping press:
It's a vacuum press, so atmospheric air pressure delivers precise distribution of clamping force:
See how the braces stand out as the rubber sheet pulls down when air is removed from the press.