Question for luthiers

[RiloKiley]

Can you tell how a wood (top, sides, back etc) will sound just by looking at it?

Are their visual cues that provide information about tone?

I've always wondered about this. In a lot of threads here, people talk about how a guitar looks more then how it sounds. I understand that we all like a nice looking guitar, but can you really look at a piece of wood and know how it's going to sound once you make it into a guitar?

[Charlie Hoffman]

No, you cannot.

[snowwis]

Looks alone can deceive. Touch and hearing play a big part. Think "stiffness" and "tap tone".
George

[racman]

None of the Lutheirs I have communicated with have aesthetically pleasing pieces of wood that they have not selected for the "tap tone" as well.