The Urlacher Experiment (Redwood vs. Cedar)
 

After being extremely impressed with the Cedar/Indian Rosewood Concert Cutaway that Dustin Furlow brought over months back I decided to have a chat with Rebecca which led to commissioning a Concert Cutaway exactly like Dustin's but with a Redwood top so we could accurately compare the nuances between the woods. (What good is bewilderment and speculation if you can't have a little fun in the process, right?)

This build is being spec'd exactly like Dustin's with the only exceptions being the soundboard material and headstock veneer, so it will likely be as close and fair of a comparison-demo recording as possible. Same mics, same strings, same back and sides, same scale length, both have soundports, and of course - same player! We will be posting a video upon it's delivery and the Redwood model will be available for sale shortly thereafter. (if I don't keep it for myself!)

At the time of this posting the guitar is at Vancouver Guitar Finishing, where it will soon head back to Oregon for final stages.

Rebecca's work flew under my radar for quite some time but I was very impressed with the tone, neck feel, fretwork, and finish of her guitar she made for Dustin. I also was made aware that she attended the last available Ervin Somogyi voicing class, which obviously improved her knowledge of sculpting the best tone possible out of a guitar. I am excited to hear this guitar and I hope you enjoy the photos!

Be safe and well.

Delicious looking Redwood.
https://i.imgur.com/gyp4vdU.jpg

Very nice old-growth Indian.
https://i.imgur.com/f2ClO64.jpg

Box closed with flamed Koa bindings.
https://i.imgur.com/lGuRggw.jpg

Asymmetrical headstock veneer made with Eucalyptus, Koa, Ebony and Walnut. https://i.imgur.com/SiW1KnG.jpg

Rosette with the repeated theme.
https://i.imgur.com/zfq2TQ0.jpg

Ready for finish.
https://i.imgur.com/i9CQPQM.jpg

Floating backstop with the head/rosette theme, beautiful cutaway inlay as well.
https://i.imgur.com/Nq3FL8S.png

Dustin's demo of the Cedar build.


Another demo with DPA 4011c and 4015a microphones here at Cedar Rock.


Some DADGAD flavorings.

That is going to be a beautiful guitar! Congrats! I'll be most interested in hearing the comparison video when it gets done.

Be aware that it's probably impossible to make pairs of guitars that sound exactly alike, even when you use wood that was sister cut from the same planks. A good luthier will get a similar sound, even with different woods, so it's really hard to say in a case like this how much of whatever difference there is comes from the wood species, and how much of it is simply the normal variation between tops.

In the wood I've tested the main difference between WRC and redwood has been in the density, with all of the follow-ons from that in terms of surface hardness and stiffness along the grain. Both have notably low and similar damping, unlike any of the spruces I've tested, but it's hard to say what effect, if any, that has on the sound.

These sorts of experiments are fun at this level, but it's hard to draw wider conclusions from them beyond the two instruments involved.

Indeed!

Of course, it’s all about the fun of it and letting people’s ears decide for themselves if the small nuances are big enough to draw conclusions. agree with everything you pointed out. Just figured it would be fun to compare in a very tightly controlled setting with the only variable being the soundboard and a 5-6 month gap in between completion.

I expect this to be a really good time...looking forward!

Arrival
 

The eagle has landed! A joy to play, as expected.

Dustin was unable to bring his Cedar build this time around to compare but we did manage to capture a review/demo clips and record a small "feature" of his version of "Close to You" by The Carpenters. This guitar is currently available for sale.

Feature:


Review/Demo:

Excellent.

One word review
 

What Larry said.

Paul

At the risk of sounding redundant, this guitar was a joy to play! Rebecca has the chops :)

Looking and sounding very comfortable and relaxed with that guitar.

Thanks Larry, looks like you are enjoying yours. Look forward to hearing more with that guitar.

:)

Yes sir.

Hard to go wrong with a modern OM for this kind of playing!