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Best Top for Koa back and side acoustic guitar
Aloha:
I would appreciate any suggestions @ best top for a koa back and side guitar - OM size. I am thinking either engelmann spruce or adirondack spruce. any experience with this? I know a great luthier Federico Vento -Ukes and Guitars- supervisor for James Goodall until he left for CA- in Hilo who is making me my dream guitar for a very good price, all decided but which top. thanks in advance. Peter |
#2
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I have heard and played an excellent Larrivee in all Koa - picture pretty and lovely tone.
-Raf
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-Raf |
#3
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It depends on the piece of wood itself, Peter, more than it does the species of spruce. I've got two absolutely world class custom instruments - my McAlister acoustic baritone guitar and my Blue Lion mountain dulcimer - that have koa backs and sides paired with Sitka spruce tops.
So I like Sitka paired with koa, frankly. I've also played a number of Martin D-42K guitars with the same wood pairing that I loved, and a couple of Collings SJ Koa small jumbos that I would have bought on the spot if I'd had the money. Same wood pairing there, as well. So I'd suggest you talk to the builder, tell him the sound you're after and the styles you'll be playing on the guitar, and then let him select which top to use with the guitar. So much of it will come down to instinct and tap tone and how this top seems to fit with that back and sides set that he can make a far better selection right there in his shop than any of us pounding away at our computers possibly could. So let him choose, but unless he himself is adamantly opposed to using Sitka spruce, don't remove it from the discussion before the actual wood selection even begins. Hope that makes sense. Wade Hampton Miller |
#4
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All of the above... I have a Koa that has an Eng. Spruce top - my XXX-KE. It works very nicely for me. As stated, find a good builder and then work with her / him to get the sound you want.
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Will |
#5
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Sitka Spruce top.
Regards, SpruceTop
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Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom Martin D-18/UltraTonic Adamas I 2087GT-8 Ovation Custom Legend LX Guild F-212XL STD Huss & Dalton TD-R Taylor 717e Taylor 618e Taylor 614ce Larrivee D-50M/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Sunburst Larrivee C-03R TE/Trance M-VT Phantom RainSong BI-DR1000N2 Emerald X20 Yamaha FGX5 Republic Duolian/Schatten NR-2 |
#6
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Adi or Carpathian would be my first two choices.
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#7
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I meant to Put a question mark on my title...
Quote:
thanks to those who already commented. I am leaning toward Adirondack... but vacillating as always. D-Day on decision is Monday. Peter |
#8
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What do you like on your mahogany guitars? Koa and hog are usually pretty similar in my experience.
A wider grained bit of spruce might bring out the koa's warmth... |
#9
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Quote:
I would tend to gravitate towards the top wood that you naturally favor due to past experiences with tone. In my case, I'm a redwood addict so my next few Koa builds will have redwood tops (my Clarks and an Edwinson Falcon), except for an all Koa Batson that I have coming up. I'm of the opinion that when it comes to tone, other than the builders ability to voice, the top wood is the most important part of the guitar, imparting a majority of the overall color to the sound. It is with this in mind that I suggest you go with a top wood that you have had favorable experiences with in the past. Or with one that you and/or the builder are pretty confident will impart the sound you are expecting. Good luck on your journey...hope Hilo didn't get hit to bad with the storm system that blew through here this past two days. Aloha, Hen
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Andrew White Production: Cybelle 112 Rosewood/Sitka Andrew White Production: Cybele 312C Crossover Rosewood/Red Cedar Clark: A-Wedge Koa/Snkr Rdwd 12-str Clark: A-Wedge Monkeypod/Snkr Rdwd Cornerstone: Zion All Koa Cornerstone: Tenor Ukulele Prototype #2 All Koa Fay: OM Mac Eb/Englemann Stehr: Aud. Braz/Snkr Rdwd 8-str Plaid Coyote's gone home to play Last edited by hnuuhiwa; 12-11-2010 at 07:18 PM. |
#10
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I believe that there is no "best" top to use with any back and side wood. It depends on the goals of the player.
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"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest." --Paul Simon |
#11
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Cedar.
Especially if it's built by someone who worked with Goodall. I once played a Goodall koa/cedar GC that was one of the best guitars I've encountered. Beaten only by the one in my signature |
#12
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Tim, what is it about those particular species that puts them ahead of the others?
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#13
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What Wade said!!! Talk to you builder about the best woods he has and what U want the guitar to do
Hans
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1971 Papazian (swiss spruce/braz RW) 1987 Lowden L32p (sitka/ind RW) 1992 Froggy Bottom F (19th cent. german spruce/koa) 2000 Froggy Bottom H12c (adir/ind RW) 2016 Froggy Bottom K mod (adir/madrose; my son's) 2010 Voyage-Air VAOM-2C http://www.soundclick.com/hanstunes (recorded on Froggy H12c) |
#14
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Cedar - owned a Taylor K14ce with Cedar top which I really enjoyed.
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#15
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LS TOP!!!! rings like a gong!!
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selling it all... |