Official Luthiers Forum!

As a new hobbyist, I'm just learning about a lot of subjects including wood properties. I would be interested in hearing the best/worst top and back combinations that people have tried and why you thought they were a good/bad combination.

Thanks in advance.

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GregH
Fot Wuth

I have had a very good run of guitars using LS Redwood and Rosewood, both Indian and Cocobolo.

I have one going now with Koa, so Ill have a better idea how it sounds with that tonewood soon!

Worst, I'm not sure there is a good answer for that. Since we all build different, maybe one builder can coax out a sweet sound from a combo of wood that the next builder couldn't.
That said, I would not use India rosewood for a top

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Lance has a good point that to attribute a good or bad attribute to any combinations is subjective to the skill of the builder and the physical attributes of the the individual pieces of a given species

Two of my favorites are;
For finger style folk of Celtic play Koa and Indian Rosewood. "I" am able to produce a OM and SJ that has wonderful rich mid range, vibrant treble and whiskey like bass (you can feel the bass like a shot of whiskey going down, powerful but yet warm and pleasant)

For an all round good performer in many playing styles I like Carpathian Spruce and most Mahogany's and Narra as well. They are bright ringing and well driven and complex overtones.

That said it is all based on the sets I have used and the performance attribute I build to. Another builder may not find these same species combos to be the same for them.

Two of my favorites are;
For finger style folk of Celtic play Koa top and Indian Rosewood back and sides. "I" am able to produce a OM and SJ that has wonderful rich mid range, vibrant treble and whiskey like bass (you can feel the bass like a shot of whiskey going down, powerful but yet warm and pleasant)

For an all round good performer in many playing styles I like Carpathian Spruce top and most Mahogany's and Narra back and sides as well. They are bright ringing and well driven and complex overtones.

Anyone hear an echo in here?




Can't wait for the Edit button on the new software!

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Oh...totally forgot.

Combinations...

Hmmm. The only real dog of a guitar I've ever built was an Englemann/Cocobolo git that the owner loves. I think it lacked punch and volume, but I think that was my fault, not the wood's. But honestly, I've never heard an Englemann guitar I like a whole lot.
Favorite combo's...
Well, who can argue with Brazilian and Adirondack?
I'm also partial to Mahogany and Cedar or Redwood.

On the other hand, I'm a really big fan of Sitka. Now I know it has a reputation of being "harsh" or something like that, but I love the stuff. I've had this one incredible set sitting for years in my stash pile that is intended for a personal guitar.

Mmmmm....sitka.   

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

THHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUBBBBBBBBBB

[QUOTE=MichaelP]
Two of my favorites are;
For finger style folk of Celtic play Koa and Indian Rosewood. "I" am able to produce a OM and SJ that has wonderful rich mid range, vibrant treble and whiskey like bass (you can feel the bass like a shot of whiskey going down, powerful but yet warm and pleasant)
[/QUOTE]

Mmmmmmm, that just sounds great...I'm searching for that tone...

Greg my favorite to date has been Honduran Rosewood and Adi.  It was, and still is, also a d****n****t, not my favorite body style either.

A very close second is Tiger Myrtle and Lutz Spruce.

I have a BRW/Adi guitar being finished right now so the above may be subject to change.

As for the worst I have yet to use any wood that sounded bad to me.  I love it all.  But various woods do sound very different from each other and the combo is important depending on what you are trying to do.

I had built over 10 guitars before I got around to using plane old stinkin Mahogany and once I heard it it became a favorite too.  Honduran Mahogany is a TOTALLY underrated tonewood.  Maybe when it gets more scarce more people will let their ears do the listening......  Yep I know what I just said......

Some favorites of mine -
Red Western cedar on Walnut.
Adirondack on any Rosewood
Koa on Koa
Sitka on Mahogany
Sitka on Bubinga
Mahogany on mahogany
Sitka on Maple


Dislikes -
Engelmann

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

European Spruce/Cuban mahogany is the finest combination I have used for my type of playing, and my style of building. What would be best for you? Well that's something only you can find out, my best might be your worst and visa versa.

Oh, I've also got a little all mahogany OO-12fret that is a joy.

Colin   

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

Of the small number that I've built my favorite is an Adirondack topped Honduran Mahogany dread. Great flat picker, I can feel the bass strings rumbling in my chest when I play. I admit to being a vintage Martin fan, Old D18s really get me going. Second would be another Adi-topped dread, this time in Makore. A little brighter, I like it for my limited fingerstyle repoirte. The next quitar off my bench is another Adi/HM dread... Did I mention I like old D18s? I'm with Hesh and Colin regarding Mahogany. I can see a day when genuine Hon. Mahogany will command goofy prices similar to BRW. And we'll all kick ourselves for not picking up more when it was available.

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Jim Womack

"Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. "
Will Rogers

Of all the guitars I have built, the one with the least "bling" on it is the one that most people prefer as far as tone is concerned. It is an adi on ash, with englemann bracing.

I also like this guitar, but I also like the italian spruce on walnut guitar sound as well. Those are my two favorites so far. I have some unusual combinations coming up right now (6 of them) and these favorites may change after I hear what they sound like.

I really havent found anything that I dislike. As my buddy Hesh says, they all sound different... its a personal thing after that.

Now if you want to talk about body styles, my personal favorite is a Frank Finnochio "prima" which is close in size and shape to a Martin OM. I am building 2 of them right now and cant wait to hear what these sound like. Most of my comissioned guitars are Dreads though.... seems to be the favorite of alot of players.

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Reguards,

Ken H

Echoing Steve S -

The best steel string I have played was a relatively small-bodied, Western Red Cedar on Walnut. I'm embarrassed to say who built it - I don't even like the brand.

Jim

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Thub?

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I keep saying (but doubt whether anyone is listening) that there are no magical synergies created by specific wood combinations. The notion that one orders up a specific sound by choice of woods is likewise mistaken.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I'm listening Howard. Honest I am.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Howard is right!
The tone-(sound)-volume etc. are not dependent on the woods so much as they are on the design !
Think about it -any guitar(instrument)that is made without a thought about the final product is left to luck for its tone!
You can use any stable woods but you have to have a good plan for the guitar to start with!

This is where premade plans or blueprints can be misleading.
Those plans are of a guitar that must have been very good or else who would go to the trouble to make the plans.
But you do not have the same set of woods in your hands so your guitar may be a bit disappointing!

In otherwords -if a B & S are very flexible and you want them to not sound that way-leave them thicker & brace them stiffer.
If you have a top that needs stiffness to get the tone you want to hear work with the bracing- along with its thickness!

There is no perfect combo !




www.collinsguitars.com

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Mike Collins

I'm only guessing here, but based on what I've read recently Curly Redwood top with Curly Redwood b/s and Curly Redwood neck and bridge might be ... interesting. Probably a little brittle with and EXPLOSION of sound when you really dig in

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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

[QUOTE=Howard Klepper] I keep saying (but doubt whether anyone is listening) that there are no magical synergies created by specific wood combinations. The notion that one orders up a specific sound by choice of woods is likewise mistaken.[/QUOTE]

Hmmm...Howard, you know how much I respect you and your work, but...
I really believe that different tonewoods have distinct characteristics, as in Adirondack sounds different than Sitka, which is different than Cedar, and that you can pair them with back and side woods that also color the sound in their own unique ways. As in, Brazilian Rosewood does something different to the sound than mahogany, or East Indian Rosewood. So while it's not a *magical synergy* you can still hone in on a particular type of tonal pallet by sellecting woods. The rest is up to the builder to then bring out the potential. Maybe we're saying the same thing here...?

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I don't disagree with anything you said. Different woods do tend to make different contributions to the sound of the instrument.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.