Official Luthiers Forum!

I have some butternut collecting dust. Anyone ever use it for a top?

Some dulcimer makers like it for soundboards. In weight and stiffness it seems comparable to Engelmann (slightly heavier, slightly less stiff).

I'm building a guitar with a sassafras top. I've had good luck with it on dulcimers. It is slightly heavier, slightly harder, and slightly less stiff than butternut. I'm not looking for it to sound like spruce.

I have in the past. It had a nice sound, more like cedar than spruce.

Definitely can be used for tops, though I haven't done it myself yet. Here's one by Ken Casper a few years ago that I really like http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=36832

Do you have any interest in selling any of it? I'm always looking for super straight grained pieces for necks (3/4" thick quartersawn), and some lower grade for heels as well (at least 1" thick and preferably flatsawn, because I laminate two pieces vertically to make a heel block with the seam down the centerline).

I know Bruce and Matt Petros use it for necks, and they've had great success with it. It looks fantastic too.

I use butternut for necks on domestic wood Classicals. It's a lot like cedro; less dense and stiff than mahogany. I have used it on steel strings in the past, but have moved away from it recently. It's also a goog wood for blocks and liners. I can't recall ever testing out the properties with a view toward using it as a top wood. Most hardwoods tend to be less stiff along the grain at a given density than softwoods, but there are exceptions, such as balsa. Also, I'm always on the lookout for good butternut, but I can't recall ever seeing any wide enough for a quartered two piece top.