Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi guys and gals-

What causes a guitar to have a certain amount of "headroom" or clarity/separation when you play harder/louder? I have heard that certain species of top woods tend to distort/compress/choke/break up when pushed too hard - like some cedar and some engelmann. I know that each piece of wood is unique but what physical characteristics would cause certain species to have a tendency for a high/low headroom? What other factors play into whether a guitar has lots of headroom - style of bracing, type of bracewood (species), quality of your joinery, ect? If stiffness is the main reason for a given tops amount of potential headroom, then is it due to cross-grain stiffness, stiffness along the grain, both or something else entirely?

I spoke with a long time builder who uses nothing but red spruce for bracing and he said that his guitars have tons of headroom no matter what the species of topwood and are also very responsive when played gently. Does anyone else have the same experience with red spruce as a bracewood?

Any and all comments are welcome. Thanks to everyone who shares their wisdom on this subject - I have been curious about this for a while.

_________________
John Lewis
Wannabe builder owned by 2 crazy dachshunds

   Headroom is influenced by the top and bracing. What happens as you over power the top the frequencies become muddled .
     If your top is too tight you will loose volume and tone and too loose your will lower the headroom. IT is a balancing act to get the the best volume and tone and not lower your headroom.
john hall