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Question for Classical builders
http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=14131
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Author:  Michael Dale Payne [ Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:32 am ]
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I have just bought and will receive tomorrow a Euro Spruced topped Sycamore back and side concert sized classical 650mm scale. It is all solid woods no laminates at all Spanish heel construction.

While I have built many furniture and jewelry boxes from Sycamore I have never built a guitar with it yet nor have I played one

my natural instincts would tell me the (generalized) tone would be some where between Mahogany and Maple.

Am I thinking right here brighter and starker than Mahogany but not as bright as Maple/

Author:  Michael Dale Payne [ Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:49 am ]
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bump

Author:  jfrench [ Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:49 am ]
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Michael - no idea! But let us know how it sounds once you get it. Its not English Sycamore is it? Who made it?


Author:  Michael Dale Payne [ Thu Oct 18, 2007 7:09 am ]
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It is a Cordoba not a ultra biggie there, but I got a buy on it. One year old and prestine. It is built in Spain and it is a very light colored Sycamore as compared to native American Sycamores. So I would imagine the Sycamore is a Euro variety.

Author:  jfrench [ Thu Oct 18, 2007 7:35 am ]
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Then tht should basically be European Maple, no? If so, its probably not as bright as other maples and has less of a "neutral" sound as far as I can say, generalizing. Euro maple is a great wood, very nice for classicals.


Author:  Colin S [ Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:41 am ]
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Michael if it's European Sycamore, which is what it sounds like as it's made in Spain, then that would be Acer pseudoplatanus. The same maple used for the great violins and guitars of Europe.

According to the Romanillos book Torres made 17 guitars from maple including some of his most famous instruments, FE17 and probably the greatest guitar ever made FE08.

What you call Sycamore in the US in Europe is known as Plane Tree. My teacher, plays an Aram Torres model made of flamed maple, he can make it sound sublime.

Colin

Author:  Michael Dale Payne [ Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:57 am ]
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This is what i would call a Mid level guitar. It is hand crafted but is from a production shop that has specialized in quality entry to mid level instruments. I played a flamed maple version of this model earlier this year and was quite pleased with it.

My intention is to use it as my guitar for the classical classes I have just started this past month. I figured it was time to let the rock and folk and my too long uncorrected technique rest and get some culture

In truth my site reading skill are vastly diminished over the past decades and I have always wanted to get some professional classical training. I figured now was as good of time as any is going to be. Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone. Break a few bad habits and improve my site reading.

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