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#1
05-23-2017, 11:58 AM
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Wood Species for Sides/Back?
Hi: I have 2 guitars, one with Indian Rosewood & the other with Walnut for sides/backs. Considering the tonal qualities of wood, strength/durability, and ease of bending/working, what wood(s) would you recommend for my next build?
I know that a lot of this is preference but I just wanted to get some idea of what others out there have used & are happy with. Thanks, Steve 
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#2
05-23-2017, 12:22 PM
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Will you be building this yourself? If you are commissioning a custom build, that is a question for the builder, he know what he has in stock. If you are building it yourself, sapele is not a bad choice. I've used maple, mesquite, paduc, walnut, cocobolo, and bloodwood for acoustic backs & sides. I would not recommend bloodwood unless you are very good at bending sides.
__________________
Rodger Knox, PE 1917 Martin 0-28 1956 Gibson J-50 et al
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#3
05-23-2017, 02:28 PM
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Thanks Rodger! Yes, I will be building the guitar myself. I am now leaning towards using either Sapele or Maple........Steve
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#4
05-23-2017, 03:04 PM
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Good old Honduran mahogany. Probably my favorite tone.
Quartersawn white oak, if you feel like using something different. It is very easy to bend.
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#5
05-23-2017, 05:03 PM
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Check out flame (quarersawn) sheoak for something very different. Sycamore is another pretty choice as is sweet gum heart wood (also known as liquidambar)..... Spalted ambrosia maple is also really pretty and great tonally.
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#7
05-23-2017, 07:33 PM
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Quote:
__________________
Fred
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#8
05-23-2017, 07:41 PM
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Quote:
No ring at all. I braced it up stiff and heavy so it wouldn't move. The guitar sounds good, but any wood can be used to make an equivalent non-live back. But it does look nice and is easy to work if it doesn't go squirrely with humidity, so I'd still recommend it.If you want a good live back wood, try osage orange. Chris Ensor was just cutting some sets last week, so you could ask if he has any spares to sell. Last edited by dekutree64; 05-23-2017 at 07:48 PM.
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#9
05-24-2017, 06:29 AM
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I have a walnut guitar that sounds terrific. Pretty too.
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#10
05-24-2017, 06:56 AM
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My favorite back/side woods are cocobolo and koa. Not sure if you can get your hands on any of those, though.
__________________
Gibsons: SJ-200, SJ-200 12-string, SJ-200 Parlor, Woody Guthrie Southern Jumbo, Hummingbird Taylors: K24ce, 517 Martin:0000-28 Ziricote Preston Thompson: O Koa
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#12
05-24-2017, 10:35 AM
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What sort of guitar are you going to make, and what do you want it to sound like? The size and shape of the guitar will determine more about the sound than anything else. The B&S don't affect the timbre as much as the top, but can still make some difference. If you're trying to get someplace it's helpful to know where it is before you start out. If, OTOH, all you want to do is make a guitar you can use whatever you like...
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#13
05-26-2017, 04:47 AM
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While poking around on the net, I found the guitar in the link below. I don't think I've seen a guitar before where the top and back were redwood and the sides were rosewood, but the sound of this speaks for itself.
http://www.dreamguitars.com/detail/1...guitar_lisa_5/
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#14
05-26-2017, 06:52 AM
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Quote:
You know I've thought for a LONG time ... why not experiment with different species on sides and back... I suppose it's a strong tradition they are the same... then there's the thought that only the top makes the top matters... However given if the sides and back affect tone then why not ... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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#15
05-26-2017, 07:45 AM
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Quote:
A live back is by necessity fairly light and flexible, so then the sides are the only stable foundation the soundboard has to push against. So for live back, the heavier the sides are, the better. This is one of the reasons a lot of builders use double sides, to make them thicker than you can bend in one piece. With a non-live back, you can make it super stiff so the back and sides move as a unit, and provide a lot more solid foundation for the top... but at the cost of losing your flywheel resonator. For sure there's no reason not to mix and match back/side woods other than tradition. But think in terms of side mass and back damping if you're aiming to get optimal live back performance... redwood is low damping, rosewood is high density. Good choice on this guitar.
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