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      Recieved some Carpathian spruce from Bob C. yesterday. The first thing I noticed was how light in weight it was! Gave it the fingernail hardness test and was pleasnantly surprised to find it pretty hard also. Was not surprised when the tap tone was so nice.
      I e-mailed Bob and asked him to pick out a couple of tops as I really couldn't tell from the pictures on his site. Bob, I publicaly promise I will never ever do that to you again!

Paul:
One thing you will notice when cutting the top shape outline on your bandsaw is that the growth rings are very hard. It's weird as the wood between the rings is soft and the rings are waaaay oppostie. I like all of Carpathians attributes: light, stiff and oh so lively.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Tim - I noticed that as well, I also see the samething in the LS redwood tops, VERY very hard growth lines, as opposed to the wood between. Hmm - makes one wonder if there aint some commonality it why both these woods are so nice sounding?

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Thanks Paul
I'm glad your satisfied. As for the growth rings isn't that typical of all conifers? Summer wood , winter wood?

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
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The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Bob - it may be - but its much more noticible when cutting the outline of a top on a ban saw with this stuff. Instead of a steady buzz all the way around, you get a buzz buzz buzz buzz -

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

[QUOTE=Tim McKnight] Paul:
One thing you will notice when cutting the top shape outline on your bandsaw is that the growth rings are very hard. It's weird as the wood between the rings is soft and the rings are waaaay oppostie. I like all of Carpathians attributes: light, stiff and oh so lively.[/QUOTE]

Have you noticed any problem when sanding with getting dips in the soft earlywood?Scott Thompson38470.5484375

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Scott Thompson
Port Townsend,WA

"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune
But this is reality so give me some room"
-Billy Bragg

I have. I find the same thing in Adirondack though. Usually though when I sand a slight bit against the grain this problem isn't as bad.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

One thing you can do it to scrape instead of sand. Also, if you use egg white (or even hide glue) to size the surface before finishing, it should raise the softwood some. This definitely works for European spruce, and "Carpathian" spruce is the same wood, just fast growing and with a steel-string friendly name...

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

[QUOTE=jfrench] One thing you can do it to scrape instead of sand. Also, if you use egg white (or even hide glue) to size the surface before finishing, it should raise the softwood some. This definitely works for European spruce, and "Carpathian" spruce is the same wood, just fast growing and with a steel-string friendly name...[/QUOTE]

What is sizing the surface? I don't know this technique.

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Scott Thompson
Port Townsend,WA

"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune
But this is reality so give me some room"
-Billy Bragg

Scott - its just sealing it before applying shellac or whatever. If you're using lacquer, you could use egg white, then shellac or sanding sealer over that before spraying.

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

I assume the Egg white adds no color. Is it straight egg white or is it diluted? Does it affect the tone? That's very interesting...

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Dave, it adds no color. Supposedly anything with a complex protein structure is good for the sound (egg whites, hide glue, etc). I started doing this on recommendation of Jose Romanillos.

Edit: I don't dilute it. I brush it on, let it sit over night, and either sand with 600 grit or just start adding shellac.

best wishes,
Joshuajfrench38470.6365509259

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

Don't the egg whites go rancid after a while?

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I also use egg whites, straight, not watered down. If you want to tint them you can add a few drops of strongly brewed chicory (found in the grocery store in the coffee section as a coffee additive for Cafe Au Lait) or tea. Chicory adds a golden brown color whereas tea can range from reddish to brown so only a few drops are needed to tint the egg whites.

Egg Whites do go bad so use it and dispose of the rest. Egg Whites are a traditional finishing material used by artists for making tempera paints and for finishing violins.