What to expect from a Adirondack/pernambuco guitar

[Brazilianwood]

Hi I have another thread ongoing in the forum regarding a future build. I received an advice about using pernambuco (in Brazil - Pau-brasil) as back and sides of a new guitar. What kind of sound and characteristics should i expect from a 00 14th fret guitar with Adirondack top and braces (as a pre-war martin), BRW bridge and fingerboard, short scale and back and sides made of pernambuco. I know that there are numerous variables associated (mainly the luthier type of construction) but i would like to hear generally what to expect. Thanks

[Bruce Sexauer]

There can’t be very many who have ever played a guitar such as you describe. Most of mine are paired with EuroSpruce, but not all. I think about six of mine use American Red Spruce for a top. Just yesterday I played a P guitar made by another maker, and it barely resembled any of my 25 or so P guitars, mainly by being subdued which is atypical in my experience.

The Most noticeable quality of Pernambuco Is clarity in the tonal envelope, no matter whether EuroSpruce or AmerRed. It produces a relatively unaffected and beautiful tone which can give an accomplished guitarist a wider than normal tone pallet to work with. The down side might be that if you are still fumbling about, it will make it pretty obvious to listeners . . . And yourself. Probably even truer with AmerRed than with EuroSpruce. Pernambuco is a GREAT tone wood.

[Brazilianwood]

Well Mr. Sexauer, i feel honored of having an answer from you! I think probably nobody would have more knowledgement than you. A Pernambuco B/s would sound more lively than mahogany but still with less harmonics than a BRW? In your opinion which guitar would have a more distinct character, and Adi/pernambuco or an adi/brw and what would be your personal choice?

[jmat]

This is the thread of the P guitar Bruce made for me. It is wonderful but with euro rather than Adi.

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=479959


I wouldn’t say the Pernambucos I have played are “prewar” type sound. If that is your target I would look at Brazilian. But P is it’s own thing and worth owning if you can track it down.

[Bruce Sexauer]

Pernambuco probably has MORE harmonic content than BRW. But it also has a less distinct tonal signature IMO. You might say lack of tonal signature IS its tonal signature.

In the familiar Mahogany/BRW comparison chart, most tonewoods fall between, and a few are before mahogany (Black Limba) and a few are after BRW (Cocobolo). And a very few are outliers, not fitting well in the metaphor. Pernambuco is one of these. I like to think P is the closet thing to both complete and neutral, and if there were more of it, we'd be talking about Pernambuco rather than BRW as the top choice for performance. But alas, it is extremely rare to find it large enough to make a quartersawm guitar. And, if it is not quartersawn, it is almost sure to fail due to humid cracking. It is the least forgiving material I am aware of in this regard. All of my non-quartered guitars have cracked, and as far as I know, none of my quartersawn guitars have cracked (pernambuco guitars, I mean).

[justonwo]

To the extent that they’re of any value, here are some recordings I made of my Adirondack and pernambuco guitar.

[tadol]

A 14fret 00 in pernambuco can be an incredible guitar - but pernambuco does not lend itself to being a forgiving instrument, especially if built by a great luthier. It can be the greatest sounding guitar imaginable in the hands of a gifted player - but it can also make it glaringly obvious just how much more you need to practice. That can be blended a bit by the choice of top, but a really good adi top might add to that problem/benefit. A lot depends on what you want to hear, and how you like to play, and how well your luthier understands working with these very special materials -

[Brazilianwood]

Thank you guys!

[ChuckS]

I have a 12-fret 000, Pernambuco and Red Spruce, built by Alan Carruth. This is the only Pernambuco guitar I've ever played, so my comments and my impression may not be that useful (although I do really like it). I'm always impressed with how Bruce describes his tonewoods, and think this is a wonderful way to explain Pernambuco (at least as far as I can relate to his vast experience):

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

Pernambuco probably has MORE harmonic content than BRW. But it also has a less distinct tonal signature IMO. You might say lack of tonal signature IS its tonal signature.

In the familiar Mahogany/BRW comparison chart, most tonewoods fall between, and a few are before mahogany (Black Limba) and a few are after BRW (Cocobolo). And a very few are outliers, not fitting well in the metaphor. Pernambuco is one of these. I like to think P is the closet thing to both complete and neutral, and if there were more of it, we'd be talking about Pernambuco rather than BRW as the top choice for performance. But alas, it is extremely rare to find it large enough to make a quartersawm guitar. And, if it is not quartersawn, it is almost sure to fail due to humid cracking. It is the least forgiving material I am aware of in this regard. All of my non-quartered guitars have cracked, and as far as I know, none of my quartersawn guitars have cracked (pernambuco guitars, I mean).

I agree with the following as well; my guitar can sound wonderful but also reveals lots of my poor technique and limited playing ability:

Originally Posted by tadol

A 14fret 00 in pernambuco can be an incredible guitar - but pernambuco does not lend itself to being a forgiving instrument, especially if built by a great luthier. It can be the greatest sounding guitar imaginable in the hands of a gifted player - but it can also make it glaringly obvious just how much more you need to practice. That can be blended a bit by the choice of top, but a really good adi top might add to that problem/benefit. A lot depends on what you want to hear, and how you like to play, and how well your luthier understands working with these very special materials -

Here's a recording of my Carruth 12-fret 000, Pernambuco and Red Spruce. Note that Alan also builds classical guitars, and this steel string seems to have quite a bit of classical tonality:



https://soundcloud.com/chuck_s/her-favorite-song-3

A couple of other build notes for my guitar: Pernambuco bridge, ebony fretboard, long scale, top bracing uses a double X.

[Guitars44me]

IMHO, the experience and skill of your Luthier will matter as much or more than the choice of woods.

I have had 5 guitars and played three more by John Kinnaird. All in different wood combos, and in four different model/sizes and ALL of them sound great!

Hopefully you have played a bunch by your chosen builder and know how he rolls...

I know folks around here gush over Bruce Sexauer's Pernambuco builds, but ALL his instruments are wonderful (at least!)

Have FUN with this build

Paul

[Brazilianwood]

Are their sound similar to sassafras?

[phavriluk]

The luthier is the source of what a guitar sounds like, not the lumber in it. I think of luthiers as akin to painters, a given shade of a color in one artist's hands will look unique to that artist. The pigment ain't driving the end product, the artist is. The same pigment can be used by Van Gogh and a house painter. The pigment won't drive the results. Same for lumber in a guitar.

[Bruce Sexauer]

While the painter is indeed the source of the art, the color and quality of the paint cannot be discounted.

[Alan Carruth]

Every set of wood presents opportunities and sets limits. A good luthier will be better able to realize the possibilities and approach the limits of the wood. Since there can be quite a lot of overlap in the properties between different sets of wood, a good luthier can make a wide range of sounds with any reasonable wood. This diminishes as skill is reduced and limitations are imposed.

[CoolerKing]

I have a Brondel A2c with red spruce over Pernambuco. It is very similar to Justonwo's guitar in the aforementioned videos. I love it!