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Favourite tonewoods.
http://www-.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=8613		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Sam Price [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 2:49 am ]
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I'm gallavanting round the county later on this week in search for tonewoods. (got a couple of "leads" I need to follow up, it may amount to a hill of beans, though!!!) I'll be inspecting, tapping, and even smelling to see if anything is suitable for tone woods....I'll end up having to order anyway, but no harm in a little hunter-gathering...

It got me thinking again about you lot...with all your guitar build expertise, what was the BEST wood you have worked with, with regards to aesthetics and production, that gave you a real sense of a job well done?Sam Price38986.4931712963
Author:  Michael Dale Payne [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:08 am ]
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Loaded question

Top 3 Domestic,
Walnut! beautiful tone nice grain variety of figure and color. It bends easy as butter.

Myrtle! for the same reasons.

Mahogany! tone and color, bending is not quite as easy but still no problem.

soon to try Mesquite I have played a OOO spruce and really liked it. Real hard to find in tonewood size.

Top 3 imports
Narra!!! stunning color and figure. Tone much like Koa but brighter treble. bends well and smells nice.

Sapele!! The most awesome quilting available very well rounded tone works well.

Tasmanian Blackwood! nice color Great tone works well
Author:  Don Williams [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:17 am ]
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No particular order:

Brazilian Rosewood
Mahogany
Black Acacia aka Tasmanian Blackwood
Koa
Ziricote
Cocobolo (Nicaraguan)
S.E. Asian Rosewood
Author:  Dave White [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:36 am ]
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Euro spruce/Cuban mahogany (lutz/Cuban is a very close second)

Western red Cedar/European maple

I also like a lot African Blackwood, Brazilian Rosewood and Indian Rosewood.

Michael - where does Mahogany grow in America (North that is)or are you also including South America as "Domestic"?
Author:  Michael McBroom [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:21 am ]
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For top woods, I like lutz spruce, Western redcedar, and redwood (in no particular order -- I like them all).

For back/sides woods, I like best good ol' EIR, pau ferro (aka Bolivian rosewood), cocobolo, and padauk, more or less in that order. I don't care much for mahogany, walnut, or maple for classicals, which is primarily what I build, although these woods do work well for steel strings.

Best,

Michael
Author:  Sam Price [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:40 am ]
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You'll never believe how much I am googling the exotic woods metioned here.

Author:  Michael Dale Payne [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:40 am ]
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Actually the mahogany we use is imported I refered to it as native because it is native to Central America as well as South America I guess this is a miss nomer to call it domestic in a US since only.
Author:  John How [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:41 am ]
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[QUOTE=Don Williams] No particular order:

Brazilian Rosewood
Mahogany
Black Acacia aka Tasmanian Blackwood
Koa
Ziricote
Cocobolo (Nicaraguan)
S.E. Asian Rosewood
[/QUOTE]

Don has very good taste in tonewood so I'll just use his list but throw in African Blackwood right up near the top instead of Ziricote which I have in my stash but haven't tried yet.
Author:  Steve Kinnaird [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:02 am ]
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Sam, I just love maple.
I've only built two guitars with it so far, but I do love how it bends, how it looks, and how it sounds. It hasn't disappointed yet.
Also quite fond of Koa. See above comments...they all apply.

Steve
Author:  arvey [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:14 am ]
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Top's
Lutz, Red Spruce, Sitka
Back and sides
Maple, Coccobolo, EI Rosewood
Author:  Bobc [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:30 am ]
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[QUOTE=John How] [QUOTE=Don Williams] No particular order:

Brazilian Rosewood
Mahogany
Black Acacia aka Tasmanian Blackwood
Koa
Ziricote
Cocobolo (Nicaraguan)
S.E. Asian Rosewood
[/QUOTE]

Don has very good taste in tonewood so I'll just use his list but throw in African Blackwood right up near the top instead of Ziricote which I have in my stash but haven't tried yet.[/QUOTE]

I'll add Honduran Rosewood to the above as well as Macassar Ebony
Author:  Don Williams [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:33 am ]
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Ya, John and Bob have added others I like as well. African Blackwood is supposed to be fantastic, but I've never used it to say for sure.

I think Honduran Rosewood is the most under-appreciated rosewood there is. It's fantastic, but perhaps the color doesn't appeal to some folks.
Author:  Jimmie D [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 9:00 am ]
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In my limited experience, I'm partial to walnut.
Author:  Serge Poirier [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 9:14 am ]
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Loved working with EIR and Lutz on no 2, i love the tap tone on red cedar and redwood tops i recently been given!
Author:  Mike Collins [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 10:06 am ]
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Hesh ;that back is beautiful!!
Sure you do not want to trade me for one of mine?

The top is the most important piece of the guitar as far as tone is concerned-then it's thickness and then the braces ability to work well with the string tension on the top!-then body size & depth !
Along with string height off the top and bridge weight.

But I love Maple -Maple is used for violins ;"rosewood is used for paneling"Jimmy D'Aquisto"
Mahogany is great especially the stiff but lite in weight pieces.
Any wood can be used for B & Sides-look at the Cypress
Flamencos they sound great even for most other types of music!
The guitar must be built thinking of the end result!
Not just of that set of expensive wood used for the body!

So go for it!- buy great woods that are not the NORM and use your skills to bring out there best!
Mike Collins
www.collinsguitars.com

Author:  Keith M [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 1:58 pm ]
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Dave,
Actually West Indies Mahogany AKA Cuban Mahogany grows in south Florida I have seen some four foot diameter trees in the Florida Keys.
Author:  Bobc [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:23 pm ]
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[QUOTE=Michael McBroom] For top woods, I like lutz spruce, Western redcedar, and redwood (in no particular order -- I like them all).

For back/sides woods, I like best good ol' EIR, pau ferro (aka Bolivian rosewood), cocobolo, and padauk, more or less in that order. I don't care much for mahogany, walnut, or maple for classicals, which is primarily what I build, although these woods do work well for steel strings.

Best,

Michael
[/QUOTE]

Michael
Here's something differant for a Classical.

Black limba with a cedar top.
More info here on this guitar:
http://www.rctonewoods.rcefaluguitars.com/blk_limba.htmBobc38987.1006134259
Author:  Bobc [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:33 pm ]
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[QUOTE=Hesh1956] I didn't see your post Bob - Great addition!! [/QUOTE]

Hesh that's a beautiful HRW example.
Author:  Bobc [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:39 pm ]
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I'll add one more to the above list. Another under appreciated Rosewood "like" wood
Osage Orange. Guitar built by Bob Gramann.


More info on this guitar here:
http://www.rctonewoods.rcefaluguitars.com/osage%20orange.htm
Author:  martinedwards [ Tue Sep 26, 2006 8:29 pm ]
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Walnut & EIR

Both bend easily, bot SMELL wonderful as you work them,

Being a Girly, you can save the shavings of EIR for a popery












sorry....

Pot Pourri
Author:  Mike Mahar [ Wed Sep 27, 2006 2:15 am ]
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One of life's little disappointments is when I heard my first Brazilian rosewood guitar. I had hoped that BRW wouldn't be worth the huge mark up. But, alas, it was. I'm disappointed that I missed Al's Osage Orange guitar.
Author:  Roy O [ Wed Sep 27, 2006 2:28 am ]
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[QUOTE=Keith M] Dave,
Actually West Indies Mahogany AKA Cuban Mahogany grows in south Florida I have seen some four foot diameter trees in the Florida Keys.[/QUOTE]

"Cuban Mahogany" is farmed in Palau which may be where much of the stuff on the market today is coming from.Roy O38987.4786689815
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