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Old 03-14-2019, 09:11 AM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mbroady View Post
From what I understand the grading system is based purely on aesthetics: grain spacing, straitness of grain, quartering angle, figuring, runout and imperfections. If that is indeed the case why is there such a mystic as well as premium put on master grade woods.
First, quarter sawn (vertical grain) and runout are not aesthetic qualities. The reasons that makers have traditionally wanted quarter sawn wood is that it is dimensionally more stable and less prone to cracking. Yes, in certain woods, if the piece is exactly quarter sawn one can see sectioned medullary rays ("silking") which can be aesthetically desirable, particularly in woods like white oak. Runout is a structural consideration: too much and the wood is more likely to split/"delaminate". Yes, on guitar tops, runout can cause a two-tone appearance/coloring to the top at the centre seam that some find aesthetically objectionable. In recent years, that has become "a thing". Prior to that, few cared or found it objectionable.

Guitar making, for most makers, is a business. Supply and demand applies. If a wood is rare or hard to get, it is more expensive. Each maker must differentiate him or herself in a very crowded market place. Some makers do that by having rare, one-of-a-kind pieces of wood from which to make an instrument. They usually charge a significant up-charge for finding, storing and offering that unique wood. If buyers like and want that wood, they pay for it: if they don't like it, they don't.

The "best" materials for instrument have always been a small percentage of the lumber that is available. The best of that is an even smaller percentage and, consequently, is as expensive as the market will bear.

I have a stunning set of "The Tree" mahogany that I bought decades ago. It is now worth more as wood (back and side set) than it would be if I were to make an instrument out of it and then sell the finished instrument. (As an unknown maker, I could sell an instrument for $3500 or so: the raw wood can be sold for more than that.)

Aesthetic values change with time and the market reflects that. When I started making guitars 40 years ago, "bear claw" figure was a flaw to be avoided. Now, buyers pay a premium to obtain "bear claw spruce". 40 years ago, you pretty much couldn't give someone a guitar with a satin finish. 40 years ago, Brazilian rosewood was cheap and plentiful and readily available quarter sawn. Today, it is scarce and any modern supply is not quarter sawn - much of it has sap wood, also an aesthetic flaw 40 years ago. (The only quarter sawn material available today is material that someone has sat on for a few decades.) The buying public believe that Brazilian rosewood, of any kind, is worth paying a premium for: if it is quarter sawn, even more so. Luthiers are aware of that market. Last decade's 2nds are today's "master" grade: supply and demand. People adjust their definitions to suit the situation.


Quote:
With that said, I understand the art (and science) of guitar building is part visual. And I like my guitars to look nice, but Have you ever had an “ugly” piece of wood that you felt had amazing sound qualities?

Did the guitar sell.
Makers have varying reasons for using a particular piece of wood. If the object is to make money making instruments, there must be an eye towards whether or not the instrument will sell, if being made on speculation. (If a customer commissions an instrument with a particular piece of wood, there isn't any "guesswork" or risk involved in whether or not the guitar will sell with that particular piece of wood.)

It would be a poor business decision to repeatedly make guitars for sale out of materials that many would find aesthetically undesirable. An example of that is luthiers trying to make instruments out of woods that aren't known to the buying public: it is a hard sell in a very competitive market.

Last edited by charles Tauber; 03-14-2019 at 09:16 AM.
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