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  #1  
Old 12-11-2010, 04:10 PM
ombaks ombaks is offline
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Default 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
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  #2  
Old 12-11-2010, 04:24 PM
Misifus Misifus is offline
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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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Old 12-11-2010, 04:25 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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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
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Old 12-11-2010, 04:32 PM
Taylorplayer Taylorplayer is offline
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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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Old 12-11-2010, 04:45 PM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Sitka Spruce top.

Regards,

SpruceTop
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Old 12-11-2010, 06:07 PM
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Tim McKnight Tim McKnight is offline
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Adi or Carpathian would be my first two choices.
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  #7  
Old 12-11-2010, 06:25 PM
ombaks ombaks is offline
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Default I meant to Put a question mark on my title...

Quote:
Originally Posted by ombaks View Post
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
I meant to put a question mark on the title......?

thanks to those who already commented. I am leaning toward Adirondack...

but vacillating as always. D-Day on decision is Monday.

Peter
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Old 12-11-2010, 06:34 PM
LoMa LoMa is offline
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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...
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Old 12-11-2010, 07:08 PM
hnuuhiwa hnuuhiwa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ombaks View Post
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
Peter,

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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Last edited by hnuuhiwa; 12-11-2010 at 07:18 PM.
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  #10  
Old 12-11-2010, 07:16 PM
Howard Klepper Howard Klepper is offline
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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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Old 12-11-2010, 10:11 PM
dekutree64 dekutree64 is offline
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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
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Old 12-11-2010, 10:17 PM
WhistlingFish WhistlingFish is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim McKnight View Post
Adi or Carpathian would be my first two choices.
Tim, what is it about those particular species that puts them ahead of the others?
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  #13  
Old 12-11-2010, 10:22 PM
handers handers is offline
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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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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)
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  #14  
Old 12-11-2010, 10:32 PM
Racman
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Cedar - owned a Taylor K14ce with Cedar top which I really enjoyed.
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  #15  
Old 12-11-2010, 10:35 PM
Ilovetaylors Ilovetaylors is offline
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LS TOP!!!! rings like a gong!!
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