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Okay I`ve got an old growth 2 piece Madagascar Rosewood back and side set.What would some of you folks think would make a perfect top.I`m thinking Addi German or Lutz.Of course sound is my main concern.Also where can I get a nice cutaway plan.Is ther like an OM cutaway plan out ther somewhere?Maybe I`ll chose a top according to the responces I get. Kind of like a vote.Sounds like fun.    JAmes W B
   
How do you put one of those crazy pictures by your name on the posts? I know nothin`.

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

What kind of music do you like to play? How do you like to play it?

The answer to your question depends on what you want out of the guitar. Do you want lush overtones and sustain? Do you want to be able to hammer on it and for it to be very loud? Fill us in so we can help.

If it where for me, the clear choice would be cedar. But a jazz player would not like that choice, neither would a flat picker or aggressive st rummer. SteveS39074.8623958333

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

"old growth 2 piece Madagascar Rosewood back and side set"

Um! Care to share a picture! It sounds awesome!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

I have build with MadRose and Adi and have been very fond of the results. It's gotten very favorable reviews from the fellas at Acoustic Player Magazine.
Here are some pics that one of the reviewers took:

Show off!

And with the right to be!!
Gorgeous guitar! Gotta love that madrose...

peterm39074.8397569444

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

I got the set from AC Woods # 26. I kind of liked the character in it ,it`s not really your typical mad rose.You can view it there Lance.I`ve always been a fan of Buffalo springfield, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, stuff like that and of course I write a bunch of stuff if I have a reason.The guitar I finished a while back sounds great playing some of those old Neil Young tunes like Heart of Gold , and James Taylor stuff.It`s Sapelle and Sitka and sounds as good as any to me.Hesh I`m hoping to get to Ann Arbor sometime in Jan Or Feb to deliver baby furniture.I`d like to look you up.Hesh I like your answer, kind of like what would you do with the mad rose.Maybe a new thread could be what would your dream guitar be made of?And Paul ,I`d love to hear what that beauty sounds like. James W B

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

Hesh I`ll let you know.
                            James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

Steve S, a while back you posted some pictures of a beautiful cut-away that you had built.I was wondering if that was your plan or if you used a plan from elsewhere.Anyway if your still paying attention to this post,I`m interested in some cut-away plans.
                      James W B

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

I'm just not keen on cedar with the rosewood type woods, but like it very much with the mahogany family where its warmth can temper the woody timbre of the mahogany for those that like a sweeter tone.

As a Brit I'm firmly in the Euro spruce camp, I believe it's the purest, most responsive wood, with the broadest range of use there is. However, I do have some of Shane's Lutz and although I haven't built with it yet, it does seem to have the potential of being the best spruce on your side of the pond. If Jose Romanilos thinks it good enough for a classical and George Lowden is going to build with it, well nuff said! And the Dave White tells me it's the closest US spruce he's heard to Euro, and his is an opinion I respest.

So my choice for you Mad Rose would be some of Shane's Lutz, and as Hesh says put some Waverly's on it with the money saved. Though I want to try some Spertzels.(spp)

Lance I shouldn't tell you this, but two piece back, top grade Mad Rose sets are easy to get over here, I think the European tonewood buyer have the market in Madagascar sown up for the Spanish classical builders. Sets go from $100 up to $167 for the top stuff. I just bought a couple of sets , with low cost shipping to the UK they are irresistable! Mine will be for classicals.

Colin

Colin S39075.2016087963

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

[QUOTE=Colin S]
Lance I shouldn't tell you this, but two piece back, top grade Mad Rose sets are easy to get over here, I think the European tonewood buyer have the market in Madagascar sown up for the Spanish classical builders. Sets go from $100 up to $167 for the top stuff. I just bought a couple of sets , with low cost shipping to the UK they are irresistable! Mine will be for classicals.[/QUOTE]

Let me guess: you couldn't resist Madinter's Christmas Special either, huh? I've got four more sets of Madagascan rosewood coming, and it wouldn't surprise me if we've got a few sequnetial ones from the same filtch.

These days I'm looking for stuff to resaw rather than sets per se, but I can't see that happening for MadRose with Madinter's prices, and raw lumber prices on rosewood the way they are!

As for Tops: based on my relatively limited experience, and the tops I have myself: either Euro or Lutz.

Don't want to be a greeny pooper but aren't the Madagascan forrests sufferring the same or worse ravages than Brazil currently ? I know that the guitar making wood impact is gnat's piss compared with other uses of lumber, and I will probably end up getting some from Madinter too, but other times I think ...

There are so many other woods being grown sustainably and in plantations etc that can be used, and although he got a bit of a hard time for saying it in another post, TJ Thompson's quote about building primarily for sound rather than beautiful guitars has a good resonance (deliberate pun )

James - apologies for that digression and hijack. It sounds from the music you like that you want something that will let you do fingerstyle and strummy chords. Shane's lutz will work perfectly for this. I've built 2 instruments with it - a small Jumbo'ish that is being used for Irish traditional accompaniment and a guitar-cittern - and they will fit your description and wotk with the Mad Rosewood perfectly I think. Nice German would do the job and if you were an out and out modern fingerstylist but you will get a better bang for your buck with Lutz. Same goes for adi I think but I can't really comment as I haven't built with it - only played adi topped guitars.

Paul - that's a beautiful guitar Dave White39075.3434027778

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

   There is one thing I think you have not gotten into about this discussion , and that is what is the bracing you are going to use. This is as , if not more important that the top itself.
   If I am building a finger style guitar , I like to go a little lighter on the bracing and strings for a softer feel. Then I also thin the top a bit more.
   If the guitar is a flat picker then 5/16 bracing and mediums strings. top to about .105 depending on species.
I like a hihger strength to weight ratio on the top for more headroom though bracing alteration for cedar is not without its fans.
   Just wanted to ad to the topic and open a few doors of discussion.
John Hall

Dave your right on about the music I like, so I think Lutz it`s going to be.Colin is there a website to go to to get that mad rose from the UK?Tippie as far as bracing.I like to brace light and scallop.I also like the top a little on the thin side.About 3/32.
                             James W B
I`ve got to start looking for Waverlys.Doesn`t anyone out there know where I can get a cut-away plan.Maybe about om size or so?James W B39075.4480902778

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

Send a pm to John Hall (tippie53) just above you. If anyone, he will have a plan or template for an OM cutaway.

Oh and the "perfect" top is always the next one but you will certainly be happy with Shane's Lutz spruce.

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Example- cost of b/s set 150 Euros.
What is that amount today in dollars?
How much approx. for shipping from europe?
How much is the VAT?

Madinter's web site is:
Madinter

Their site will show dollar prices, just check the box on the right of the screen, but 150 Euro is about 200 dollars.

I don't know the shipping cost from Spain to US, but as non-EU residents you wouldn't have to pay any VAT.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Shane's Lutz is a great choice for a top on this one!