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Interesting side supports. Looks like burlap!

I can't give you a definitive answer about the bridge plate, but it seems like you'd be okay in any of the directions you mentioned. Besides, if it starts to split, you can just slap another one over it. The power of lutherie!!!

Thanks Tony. That is certainly different from the earlier ones. One of the
points I was interested in was the glue. At some point around '33 Gibson
switched to some very white glue (possibly casein?) for the lining / side
glue joint, while still glueing everything else, including the top and back
to lining with hide glue. You can see the white squeeze out in your
picture. The earliest guitars I've seen this on have been mid '33 as best as
I could date, although I've seen some from late '33 and early '34 that still
have hide glue.

Dating Gibsons from the early 30's is always quite a challenge and I'd like
to be able to use this as a helpful dating method. The hard part has been
trying to use only instruments which can be accurately dated by other
means to establish the transition of glue. Of course it's near impossible to
be 100% certain.


Anyway, the grain direction won't matter much on a small cap. Flat sawn
will be less likely to chip, but quartered is fine. Neither will be a high risk
of chipping so long as you drill carefully with a brad point bit and backer.
I also always replace slotted pins with unslotted and slot the bridge. I run
the cap grain perpendicular to the top grain, but I don't think you would
be at any advantage or disadvantage if you ran it otherwise.

_________________
Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Here's a shot of the unkerfed lining on the '33 I'm working on now. No side
braces at this point, and you can clearly see the opaque white squeeze out
on the side, while hide glue still in use for the top and back to lining joint.

_________________
Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.