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Can't decide between these two BRW backs. I've sides to match each of them. The one on the right is perfectly QS and overall a great set but has that knot flare in it. The one on the left is almost QS and has interesting color patterns. I just can't decide... I get to only choose one. So if someone had a gun to your head which one would you choose and why

Left


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Tough choice, either would make a nice guitar. I like the bookmatch better on the right set but that knott flare is in an unfortunate location. Could you move the pattern up closer to the top? That flare might look better placed closer to the waist instead of in the center of the upper bout.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Put that gun away
I like the one on the left, has interesting well balanced grain lines ant the seam will look good.
The knot does naught for me. No doubt others might love it.

Left

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I like the one on the left. I think it is visually interesting. I find the knot flare in the RH set distracting.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Left

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Blue Ring Acoustics
blueringacoustics.ca

Use the left one. Send the one on the right to me for disposal.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

If someone had a gun to my head I would give them the BRW and be thankful for my life.

And I agree that the left one is better.

I also do not like light color "flares". Have you tried wetting it to see what it might look like under finish?

Alternative opinion: I find the back on the right to be significantly more attractive. Its lighter colored, rather symmetrical pattern around the join is far more interesting than the rather boring look of the left back. And the horizontal "knot flare" is a feature, not a bug -- it gives a radiance to the piece. So if you decide not to send the back to Chris, PM me.

For BRW I would go with the right. I like it is symmetric as in it looks like a book match, I could live with the knot lines (actually like them). I do not like the asymmetry in the upper bout of the one on the left. The left one seems out of sequence as far as a book match.

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The cockatoo says they all taste the same.....
The one on the left is visually more interesting, the one on the right is more rare (quartersawn BRW is getting hard to find). The knot flare will diminish as the wood darkens with age.
Still it's a tough choice. The better Guitarmakers once favored the stability of straight grained quartersawn wood.Today it seems wild grained stuff is in vogue (and about the only thing available). If the set on the left is mostly quartersawn I might favor it. If I wanted to build a traditional Martin type instrument I would go with the set on the right.
What does the side material look like?

Whichever one is more resonant. The knot appears to be located where a back brace naturally falls and would reinforce this area. But I would let my ears and fingertips take precedence over my eyes.

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Stay with the happy people.
--Reynolds Large

Boy, wish I had your problem...

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

shoot me....

I prefer the right one as the bookmatch is better and I like the contrast in colour.

Left has more figure . BRW is notorious for hairline cracks and being unstable . I/d stick with the right one for longevity and less chance for bracing to come undone.

The sides could match one or the other, or neither, but probably not both. I would choose the one that the sides matched better.

So about 50/50 kind of what I expected hahahha the left set is still pretty close to QS, so close a lot would probably just call it that though I would not. The right one is fully QS. Both sets were cut in the 1950's so they are about as well seasoned as they can be. After wetting with Naptha (good idea thanks) I was surprised at how the knot flash sort of faded into the background. I thought if anything it would have accentuated it. But the one on the right I think has cool color markings. The sides probably match the one with the knot better. Maybe it will be up to the old coin toss.

Wetted back 1:


Wetted back 2:


And sides:

Not to be a contrarian, but I almost think the sides match the first back pictured. The color bands on the lower bout kind of match the color bands of the sides (but then it could be argued they match the center stripe on back number 2 )
Good luck picking!

Maybe this is an unreasonable fear, but I have it nonetheless: Backs with a grain pattern that is too interesting (like the one on the right, with the knot) make me worry about how the back will react to significant RH changes. Straight grain (i.e., boring to some) is more predictable than waves and swirls and knots and such. That was my main reason for preferring the left back over the right back.

And that was exactly my thoughts on it too. Yes the one on the right is perfectly QS but it has a 'feature'. In the past I have tightened things like that with thin CA but still. The one on the left is only slightly off QS but has no features and has a cool cloudy look to it. But then some might not like that too

EDIT: also that knot flare could be made to go right over a back brace which would help strengthen it too.

Is there a better book match on the other side of back number 1, or does it become even less of a match? And what is going on with the dark grain lines? It's so hard to judge things from a picture.

On back number two you might be able to lose some of the knot by trimming the center seam at an angle (which would cause the grain to join at more of an angle similar to back number 1)