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Old 05-27-2020, 05:02 PM
alohachris alohachris is offline
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Honolulu
Posts: 2,430
Default Avoid The Flat Cut Back, Hanter

Aloha Hanter,

Sorry to interject this suggestion amongst all the mirth of wood selection which is quite exciting during this phase of having a guitar made by a master luthier.

But Hanter, you should reconsider your choice of flat-sawn Cocobolo back as shown & even the sides. Ask John Kinnaird to tell you the reasons why more quarter-sawn woods are the traditional & a much better choice for musical instruments that travel & are under 250 lbs. of pressure per square inch. Also, put a meter on both the Cocobolo & Redwood you've chosen to check for moisture content. It should be well under 10%, preferrably 6-8% moisture content.

Flat-cut is always more striking looking, but also more problematic down the line (unless the guitar is kept in a humidity controlled vault constantly & isn't played out much). Quarter-sawn guitar wood is about longevity & better handling the seasonal changes & indoor heating variations. As a Central American rosewood, Cocobolo, especially flat-cut, tends to crack over time & hates seasonal change (moisture loss) & even light dings.

Information is valuable, & of course, it's your choice. That is a very nice looking back. But as a former luthier & travelling musician, I would never have used it on a guitar if I had quarter-sawn choices. And of course the scarcity of rosewoods globally provides luthiers with fewer choices.

Enjoy the build, Hanter.

alohachris

Last edited by alohachris; 05-27-2020 at 05:25 PM.
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