Have always had trouble getting what goes out of Levin parlor guitars with floating stables. Have tested several different ribbing but never been really satisfied. The original birch / maple strip across the lid underneath the stable is the large upper that compresses the sound and makes it thin, squeezed and lifeless, to remove it is the most important. You can also reduce the plate noise by sticking a thick damping tough welding tape under the flat string holder.
This time I realized that the stable is just pushing down the lid and you do not have to think about strengthening the lid for rotation as with a fixed stall. So. Why not simply make a cross with the knot in the middle of the stable? The advantage of a cross is that you can shape the ribs into a bend and give the lid a nice bend both along and across with the highest point where the stable is placed. Unlike an X bracing, I keep the ladder bracing from the bar under the sound hole and above. Two reinforcements were glued under the stable both feet. This is how it was, the bottom got a flat rib as well.
It was a chance to go home. It sounds good and feels stable and this is what I will do in the future with floating stables.
The guitar didn't have many problems. Both the bottom and the lid were in the thickest layer and needed to be thinned out. The walnut grip board was replaced with an original Levin rosewood board that was sold when the company was liquidated. Got a bunch of such by Thomas Fredholm who had the garage full (thanks for that!). Fine wood, but also a few mm too short (probably intended for a grip board with binding). Split on a piece of rosewoodlist on the end of the board.
The guitar was trouble free, but it is always a lot of work to make an adjustable stall which I think is very handy as you never know if the lid will drop from the pressure from the strings. Things happen when it gets dry and humid too. Made a variation that was inspired by the stable on the 1920s parlor with floating stable that I just repaired.
Retained the upper saddle in ebony. A wooden over saddle dampens treble, which otherwise may be too much of a guitar with floating stables. The tone became dull (!) With a lot of midrange a bit like a Gibson. Very high volume too!
All my fine inventions are out of the picture on a guitar with a floating stable. It would possibly be possible to do a saddle disassembly, but then the stable must be done in a different way. But on the other hand, it tunes in perfectly OK with a straight stable leg as you have the chance to move and turn the stable freely. Some pictures of the finished guitar.
