Top woods to pair with Brazilian

[jennconducts]

Hi all,

Mike Baranik is holding a beautiful set of BRW for me. I'm "in line" with him. The start date should be pretty soon.

My initial thought was to have a cedar top. One of Mike's guitars that I have is cocobolo RW and cedar. I LOVE the sound of this instrument. The geometry is a little wrong for me, thus the new project. And I figured that I'd like one BWR guitar in my lifetime.

I told one of my teachers (a very well-known guitarist whose name most of you would instantly recognize) about the upcoming project, and he reacted quite strongly to the idea of BRW and cedar. He didn't think that it was a good idea at all. I mentioned this to Mike, and he told me that he's thinking of a redwood top.

I'm a fairly "light" finger style player, but once in awhile I do "dig in" a bit. My sonic priorities are strong fundamental, excellent string separation, not overly "bright." Do you have any thoughts or opinions about cedar vs. redwood for this project? I'm well aware that there are many more variables to be considered.

Thanks for any thoughts!

Jenn

[JamesO]

Totally go with Mike's advice. Nobody will know how he works with the materials in his possession better than he will. I think that if you're able to articulate the qualities you really liked in the coco/cedar, you'll be solid.

[rogthefrog]

Redwood over Brazilian can be fantastic. You get the cedar style roundness with a little extra zing. I have a redwood/abw guitar and also played its twin in redwood/brw, and both are really great.

All that being said, I'm not sure I'd steer someone who wants a strong fundamental and excellent note separation towards cedar or redwood over brw. That to me suggests koa, myrtle, bubinga, mahogany or maybe wenge b/s instead. Cedar or redwood over brw will give you a lush envelope of sound with less separation. It's gorgeous and my favorite kind of tone. But it's not what you're describing.

The not overly bright preference does suggest cedar or redwood. Based on those descriptors I'd probably go with redwood over myrtle or wenge.

[ManyMartinMan]

I would go with Mr. Baranik's advice but you will have to make the final approval. I will add that the most beautiful sounding Brazilian Rosewood guitar I ever played had a Sitka Spruce top.

[gitarro]

It depends so much on the luthier that you should go with his recommendations. Having said that, I do not like cedar tops as I find them sounding compressed at the highest notes and lacking in Upper extension though they are very warm and open sounding from the start. I have only ever had one redwood guitar but didn't keep it for long.

I believe baranik is known for having very good stocks of colorado blue spruce. You could ask him for his views on pairing it with brazilian rosewood.

[Mark Hatcher]

Baranik is an excellent and experienced luthier. His ability as a guitar maker is more important than which species of top wood you choose. I would spend my time being sure I am clear about what it is I am looking for and am communicating that well to Mike and then I would go with whatever is his first choice. No matter how well known your instructor is he is not more of an expert on Mike's work than Mike is.

[Wolfram]

Hi Jenn,

Mike is one of the greatest luthiers on the planet - certainly top five in my book. And you're already familiar with his 'signature sound'. I would give him your tonal brief and trust him to fulfil it - some of that is down to wood selection; most will be how he builds and voices your particular guitar. I did this with my Aurora commission [build thread here: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f....php?t=210789] with him a few years ago, and every time I play that astonishing guitar it amazes me how Mike absolutely nailed what I had asked him for in tone, feel and looks: it is perfect.

As gitarro mentioned, Mike is one of very few builders using Colorado blue spruce, and given that I've played many of his guitars now, some with this top wood (including my own), I can say that he really does seem to extract something very special from it.

That said, one of the most hauntingly beautiful sounding Baraniks I've played was cedar over ziricote... (pics here if you scroll down to "Baranik Meridian cedar/ziricote").

Be clear with Mike what you want from this guitar, and trust him to make it reality.

Looking forward to seeing the build thread!

Cheers,
David

[Tim McKnight]

Originally Posted by rogthefrog

All that being said, I'm not sure I'd steer someone who wants a strong fundamental and excellent note separation towards cedar or redwood over brw. That to me suggests koa, myrtle, bubinga, mahogany or maybe wenge b/s instead. Cedar or redwood over brw will give you a lush envelope of sound with less separation. It's gorgeous and my favorite kind of tone. But it's not what you're describing.

Ditto ... When one asks for strong fundamental, excellent note separation my first thought is Adi. Besides Adi/BRW is a classic match dating back to the early 1900s. Red Spruce can be really bright but there are ways to tame that which I am sure Mike can easily handle.

Cedar/BRW is going to be lush with overtones and complexity. Listen to the advice of your teacher and especially Mike, grasshopper.

[invguy921]

I agree with everything that has been said. I would encourage adding Englemann to your list of possibilities. Excellent head room, with a slightly more round tone. I've loved virtually every Englemann topped guitar I've played, particularly over Brazilian. I once owned a McPherson with Englemann over Macassar that was beyond belief...the perfect balance. Oh if I only had kept all the guitars in my memory ha!

[riorider]

Hi Jenn... you've played all of my Baraniks, and the one you really liked was the cedar over 'tree' mahogany. But that mahogany is special, with more rosewood qualities (though not quite as overtone-laden as rosewood).

I personally love redwood tops - more articulate tone than cedar, but softer in tones (not sure why - compression?) than most spruce.

However, I echo the blue spruce comments. There's something about that bell-like crystalline "tinggggg" that adds to the tonal spectrum.

Aesthetically, the warm earthy reds of redwood tops are my favorite, and although nothing to do with sonic appreciation, sure does "draw" me to take them out and play them!

Eagerly looking forward to seeing this project!!

Oh, and the CX with the build pics on Mike's (old) website which he built for Jason, then I bought, then I traded back to him, is still (I believe) with him. That braz / german would give you a great Baranik example of spruce with german.

Phil

[M Sarad]

My Brazilian guitars all have different tops: Sitka, German, Adirondack.

Each one sounds different and excellent.

[Cocobolo Kid]

Originally Posted by Tim McKnight

Ditto ... When one asks for strong fundamental, excellent note separation my first thought is Adi. Besides Adi/BRW is a classic match dating back to the early 1900s. Red Spruce can be really bright but there are ways to tame that which I am sure Mike can easily handle.

Cedar/BRW is going to be lush with overtones and complexity. Listen to the advice of your teacher and especially Mike, grasshopper.

Jenn,

I agree with Tim completely and suggest Adirondack spruce if you are set on the Brazilian. BTW, please post a pic of the Brazilian set if you have one.

Considering the sound you are looking for, I would suggest Koa back and sides. With everything else being equal, Brazilian will add lush reverb like overtones whereas Koa will give you a stronger fundamental with great separation and tone. Plus, Koa is such a beautiful wood.

Mike nailed my custom build better than I could have hoped for so I would trust him 100%. I described the tone I wanted and let Mike select the top. You have the added benefit that you live close to Mike so he has seen you play many times no doubt. Trust in Mike and you will end up with the guitar of your dreams just like I and many others have.

I will be eagerly following your build thread when it starts.

[nootis]

As others have chimed in, I'd definitely lean towards Mike's suggestions.

However, if you love the light warm touch, yet want to have the ability to dig in a little, I would suggest a top picked by Mike of LS Redwood or Sinker Redwood. It depends on the quality of the top chosen, but legend has it that those types of tops have the warm light touch fundamentals of Redwood and Cedar with a little more "headroom" that can handle digging in.

[Cocobolo Kid]

Jenn,

You might also want to PM my friend Matt (rlxnply). I believe he still owns an Adi/BRW Baranik JX. I have played this guitar and it has a great tone. Matt will be able to give you more insight.

[maurerfan]

Red spruce over BRW ... a match made in heaven!