The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Custom Shop

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 01-26-2017, 10:11 AM
patchmcg patchmcg is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Steeler Nation
Posts: 2,098
Default Top-wood suggestions

This is kind of a shot in the dark, but it's worth taking.

I have the opportunity to "Franken-build" a pile of parts. To make a long story short, the eventual end result will be a nylon-string, parlor guitar. The "trick" with it is that, being me, all the parts come from Ovation, including a hard-to-find parlor-sized bowl.

I am looking for an alternative top wood since I have quite a few spruce-topped guitars already. (I do have access to some good, torrefied spruce though.) I also have a lead on a nice, very stiff piece of sinker redwood.

Despite the above, I am curious as to any suggestions the experts here might have. So think of this as a fun, little experiment. The neck has 14 frets to the body (a bit unusual for nylon strings), and Ovation bowls are known for overall balance with maybe a slight nudge toward the mid-range tone-wise.

So...what do you all think?
__________________
Well, it looks like one of those desiderata days.....

MY OVATIONS
Spruce: Patriot #76, 1768-7LTD, 1122, 6774, 1779 USA, 1657-Adi
Redwood: 2001-X, 1537-X, 1713-X, FD14-X, Dan Savage 5743-X
Koa: 2078LXF, 1768-X, 1997-X
12-string: 1755, 1615-X Walnut
Exotic tops: 1768-XWF (Bubinga), 1987-M (Mahogany), Adamas 1681-X (Q. Maple)
Others: MM-68-7LTD Mandolin, MM-868-X Mandocello
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 01-26-2017, 12:13 PM
ChuckS's Avatar
ChuckS ChuckS is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 3,644
Default

I'm not a luthier, and my only percieved knowledge is from reading, so my thoughts may be of little value or even wrong. With that said, I assume for a nylon string guitar you will want a very low density topwood (cedar, Engelmann spruce, European spruce are typically low density). Also, a topwood with high overtone content might be desired.
__________________
Chuck

2012 Carruth 12-fret 000 in Pernambuco and Adi
2010 Poling Sierra in Cuban Mahogany and Lutz
2015 Posch 13-fret 00 in Indian Rosewood and Adi
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 01-26-2017, 02:23 PM
Alan Carruth Alan Carruth is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 4,180
Default

What Chuck said: get the lowest density piece of top wood you can and leave it thick enough to get the requisite stiffness. With that plastic back you're going to need all the help you can get, so I'd suggest you look for a decent piece of Western Red cedar. It's usually lower in density than most of the spruces, although there's a lot of overlap between all the softwoods. Also, WRC usually has much lower damping than spruce.

Redwood is quite variable, and, like the little girl in the nursery rhyme,: "When she was good she was very, very good, and when she was bad she was horrid". I've gotten redwood, like the well-known LS log, that combined the stiffness and density of good Red spruce with damping that's as low as that of Brazilian rosewood. I've also seen redwood that had stiffness and damping numbers that were not much better than cardboard. The small experience I've had with 'sinker' wood suggests that there's no magic to it; if the wood was god when they sunk it, it will probably still be pretty good. As always, you need to look at the piece of wood, not the species or the sales hype.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 01-28-2017, 12:57 PM
alohachris alohachris is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Honolulu
Posts: 2,430
Default Build a Wooden Guitar

Aloha,

Forget the Ovation Lyrachord back, even if the back is free. Build an all-solid wood guitar. It'll improve more over time w/ playing.

I know there are many fans, but the reasons for Ovation's popularity among pro's like Glenn Campbell had less to do with tone than with traveling toughness & feedback control & that they were free. He played wooden guitars in the studio & at home.

Make a wooden guitar (Honduran Mahogany B&S) with a Sitka Spruce top (stronger) if you're just starting out as a luthier. Redwood & Cedar tops are softer than Spruce & more easily cracked while working on them, They also can't handle errant picks as well.

I wouldn't waste my time on Lyrachord anything. Never liked Ovations or Applauses. Great innovation by the Kaman's. Cool looking. Nice niche for 40 years. But not a wooden guitar.

Good Luck!
alohachris

Last edited by alohachris; 01-28-2017 at 01:45 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 01-28-2017, 06:48 PM
cpabolting cpabolting is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 2,987
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by alohachris View Post
Aloha,

Forget the Ovation Lyrachord back, even if the back is free. Build an all-solid wood guitar. It'll improve more over time w/ playing.

I know there are many fans, but the reasons for Ovation's popularity among pro's like Glenn Campbell had less to do with tone than with traveling toughness & feedback control & that they were free. He played wooden guitars in the studio & at home.

Make a wooden guitar (Honduran Mahogany B&S) with a Sitka Spruce top (stronger) if you're just starting out as a luthier. Redwood & Cedar tops are softer than Spruce & more easily cracked while working on them, They also can't handle errant picks as well.

I wouldn't waste my time on Lyrachord anything. Never liked Ovations or Applauses. Great innovation by the Kaman's. Cool looking. Nice niche for 40 years. But not a wooden guitar.

Good Luck!
alohachris
Yeah...he is right
__________________
A brand new duet I wrote with my daughter:
https://youtu.be/u0hRB7fYaZU

Olson Brazilian Dread #1325
Olson Brazilian SJ #1350
Olson Tiger Myrtle Dread #1355
Olson Brazilian Jumbo #1351
Olson 12-string Jumbo (one of only a few)
Martin D-42 Johnny Cash #51/200 (only 80 made)
And a few others

Quite a few limited edition and rare Martins
-----------------

http://www.kekomusic.com
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 01-29-2017, 08:19 AM
Montesdad Montesdad is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: The OC - So Cal
Posts: 1,269
Default

Ignore those couple of posts above - - -

If you want to 'Frankenbuild' on an old Ovation platform - do it.
Sounds like a fun project and I'm sure you will be rewarded for your efforts.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01-29-2017, 01:23 PM
patchmcg patchmcg is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Steeler Nation
Posts: 2,098
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Montesdad View Post
Ignore those couple of posts above - - -

If you want to 'Frankenbuild' on an old Ovation platform - do it.
Sounds like a fun project and I'm sure you will be rewarded for your efforts.
Thanks Montesdad. I appreciate it. I've been dealing iwth Ovation bashing for over 30 years now, but I like'em anyway.

Here's some more of the story. I won't be doing the build. The economy caught up to me several years back, so financing such things are out of the question for the foreseeable future. But over the years, I managed to accumulate a decent load of Ovation bits and pieces, and a friend of mine enjoys re-building Ovation wreckage. So we made a deal, I'll give him all I've got (Lord knows I can use the space anyway.), he builds me something fun and different and gets to keep all the rest.

So truly, it's fun for him, and it's fun for me. I can't wait to see what comes of it all.

BTW, I'm still leaning towards the SRW for no valid reason whatsoever, but does anyone know how Port Orford Cedar sounds with nylon strings?
__________________
Well, it looks like one of those desiderata days.....

MY OVATIONS
Spruce: Patriot #76, 1768-7LTD, 1122, 6774, 1779 USA, 1657-Adi
Redwood: 2001-X, 1537-X, 1713-X, FD14-X, Dan Savage 5743-X
Koa: 2078LXF, 1768-X, 1997-X
12-string: 1755, 1615-X Walnut
Exotic tops: 1768-XWF (Bubinga), 1987-M (Mahogany), Adamas 1681-X (Q. Maple)
Others: MM-68-7LTD Mandolin, MM-868-X Mandocello
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Custom Shop

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:33 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=