Beech as a tone wood?

[Telecastermusic]

Just experimenting with first time side bending. Cut and thicknessed some beech I had lying about. Seems to bend and hold its shape really well.
Is beech going to be any good as tone wood? Thanks.

[Truckjohn]

Yep. Good stuff.

Beech has a really pretty quartersawn figure.

Its worth thinking about stains and finishing to bring out the grain so it isn't buff white colored wallpaper.

[Frank Ford]

Beech is pretty much numero uno on the bending scale, which is why you see it so commonly used for chair backs and the like. It's also cool looking and takes a stain nicely. Some years ago I saw an early Gibson mandolin with beech back and sides - a swell sounding one at that.

[Silly Moustache]

I'm told that some of the early Gibson L-5s were made with beech.

[Frank Ford]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

I'm told that some of the early Gibson L-5s were made with beech.

Actually, those were BIRCH, as were many other Gibson models before 1923 or so.

[hat]

Does anyone have pictures of a Beech guitar? That is a very hard wood, not sure where it compares on the scale with Mahogany or IRW though. I suspect it would make a very punchy, direct sounding guitar.

[Ned Milburn]

Here are some links:

http://www.wood-database.com/american-beech/

http://www.wood-database.com/honduran-mahogany/

Paying attention to the shrinkage rates should tell you easily why mahogany is favoured, especially for neck wood, and why beech is not ubiquitous as a guitar building wood.