Official Luthiers Forum!

I could swear I saw a discussion on this but can seem to find it now.

So anyone used this stuff and if so what is the verdict?

I bought a few tops and they ring like glass the grain is pretty wide though. Still I believe it has some possibilites. In fact I'm starting #5 (a classical) and I have a Carpathian top already chosen for it.

Actually in spite of the wide grain it seems very very stiff. Some much so that I just ordered three more tops to ad to inventory.

Love to here from someone that's used it...

Keep in mind I'm almost a total n00b when it comes to acoustics, but I've found very little correlation between grain spacing and stiffness and taptone. My floppiest top, by far, is a WRC top with grain so tight I can barely count the lines per inch, and some of my stiffest stuff has very wide spacing. The top I built my first with (a grade II rivolta Italian spruce top; some localized runout, wide grain, lovely stiffness and tap, but, well, it only cost about 15 bucks) has about 4 lines per inch(!) at the extreme outer edges, but it surely wasn't floppy.

I love it... it is stiff and really light. I also am using the bracewood.

I am just about to glue the bridge on a OM w/carp top and bracewood and will have the guitar with me at A.S.I.A

again I like the stuff very much....we`ll see how it sounds tommorow.

Matt, you gonna bring that Quilted Sapele Reso? Sure would love to see that!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Ron:
I have just strung up 3 Carpathian topped guitars and they are easily the best sounding guitars I have built to date. I reeeeeely like it ALOT!

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

Ignore grain width.

Saw a Torres the other day with about 3 grain lines per inch. No exageration. If the wood is good and stiff, it's good and stiff, and if not, then not. No amount of obsessive line counting will change that.

[QUOTE=rlabbe]
Saw a Torres the other day [/QUOTE]

Roger, please tell us more about the guitar. Where did you see it? Did you get to play it? What were your impressions? Etc., etc!   Maybe start a new thread about your experience.

Jeff

Hi Ronn,

The stiffest Spruce I have tapped-on is White Spruce (Picea glauca). The 3 loudest, punchiest guitars I have played had White Spruce tops. Even beat out Adirondack. As several others mentioned, I think grain count per inch is overrated. The White Spruce I tapped had very wide grain lines. So, if the Carpathian Spruce(which Allied Lutherie says is Picea abies) sounds good to you, I would use it proudly, regardlss the grain count.

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

All of these species are so close together that any of the picea trees would probably work if they are stiff and light. For example, Engelmann spruce is Picea engelmannii, and Picea glauca is white spruce, Picea glauca albertiana is the common dwarf Alberta spruce that most northerns grow in their yard(including myself). Picea abies is named Norway spruce because it grows farther north, and this is the same as Carpathian Spruce. You are probably wondering how I know this...I've been doing Bonsai for about 15 years now, and have learned much about tree species over the years. Hope this was helpful.
Tracy

[QUOTE=Jeff Doty] Roger, please tell us more about the guitar. Where did you see it? Did you get to play it? What were your impressions? Etc., etc!   Maybe start a new thread about your experience.

Jeff[/QUOTE] Jeff, see my 'French Polish" thread. I saw it at Richard Brune's, and the guitar was in to be repaired, and unplayable. However, he has other guitars in his collection with similar grain characteristics, and they sound fabulous. His son was telling me about a Strad (? - I think it was maybe another maker) he inspected that had a knot positioned under the foot of the bridge. The old makers used whatever wood they could get, and achieved great results.

Matt
I'd love to here your thoughts once you get it stung up.

I really don't care to much for the what other's consider perfect wood. I like a little character. The grain spacing dosen't bother me. Compression lines, wavy grain, nah they don't bother me either in fact I kinda like 'em. Like some one said if it's stiff, it's stiff.

And like I said this stuff sounds like glass when you tap it. Can't wait to hear it sing.

i've yet to build with any european spruce, but know what you mean about its tap and stiffness. some time ago i found some sets on the net which had flaws such that they would only be good for small instruments. i thought that as since the price was right($4.00/set) what could i lose.

they have variable grain but are very stiff and sound rather wonderful.

maybe a parlor or some citterns may have to added to the prototype schedule.