They wouldn't have to be offset so much you could detect it by eye. Just a tiny bit would serve to avoid making a 2nd harmonic resonance point.
Of course, this assumes a few things....
1. That I know what I'm talking about. I don't, necessarily, but it's just physics and seems logical to me.
2. That the resonating point is the side wall.
You'll have to wait for someone that knows what they're doing to chime in.
BTW, I think I need some of those beautiful braces for my splits!