Unusual half-hoop bracing in a Baby Taylor

[Noodler]

I recently bought a Baby Taylor built in April 199 (so just a few months after the NT neck was introduced).
It had obviously been well played but not really cared for. The ease of being able to add a homemade shim allowed me to adjust the action so that it's now about as low as it can go. (There was no pocket nor shim in the guitar before I made the adjustment).
HOWEVER - this is my enquiry- inside the guitar, across the upperbout, there is what seems to be a deep, half-hoop bracing that stretches from the waist up to the end-block for the neck and then round to the other side. It looks really good and may even affect either tone or volume, I'm not sure.
Can anyone explain the purpose of this as I haven't seen it on later Baby guitars nor on any other Taylor acoustic. When was it first used and when (and why) was it discontinued?

[Earl]

Dusting off my memories, I bought a Baby in 1996 right after they were introduced, intended for camping and travel purposes.  I bought it in NorCal at Tall Toad, and took it back to AK on the plane with me.  No Alaska dealers had any yet but W&S was touting them heavily.  I vaguely recall that hoop brace in there, as a way to support the neck / body joint.  It was kinda clever in my opinion.  No photos though, just faded rememberances (that's a word, right?).

[Noodler]

That does make sense. I always use a dentist's mirror to check inside acoustics and by angling it carefully, I could see that the apex of the hoop didn't just butt up against the underside of the neck block, it's set into it by about 1/4", making it obvious that this was an engineered part of the construction. I've often wondered if it has an effect on sound projection because the hoop itself is not exactly small. By my estimate it is 1" deep and extends from the waist on one side, up and around under the neck back to the waist on the other side . . . seeming to rest like a spring against the sides of the guitar.
Thanks for your response. I'll be interested to see if anyone else has anything to add, especially if they know when and why it was discontinued and whether your idea is right. Thanks again.

[SDTaylorman]

Thanks for your response. I'll be interested to see if anyone else has anything to add, especially if they know when and why it was discontinued and whether your idea is right. Thanks again.

Well, no need to speculate. Just contact Taylor and ask them yourself. Their Customer Service is second to none:

https://www.taylorguitars.com/contact

[Noodler]

Thanks for that SDTaylotman. I did just as you suggested and despite the time difference between USA and UK, I quickly received this informative response from Josh Mundt ...

Thanks for reaching out. The semi-circular arch visible inside of the body of the first-generation Baby Taylor is what we call the "Wall". It is a feature that was brought down from our Acoustic Bass design and it enables us to attach the neck to the body of the guitar by way of the sides, rather than the top. This Baby Taylor neck joint design was changed in June of 2001 to a design that is similar to the neck joint design of the Big Baby Taylor. The "Wall" was eliminated entirely.

So that's solved that query.
Thanks again.
Alan