Do you own guitars with torrefied tops? Opinions please.

[Cool555]

Originally Posted by ChalkLitIScream

More resistant to humidity changes*
Don’t submerge it in water thinking it’s waterproof 😂

I did some digging around and don’t seem to find evidence of cooked tops before the 600series revoicing in late 2014. Taylor only half cooked the tops on them, so one would expect some of the tone to mature still

Thanks for reply!

Is your Taylor 614 a torrefied top?

[Cool555]

Interesting video on the tone of a torrefied guitar made by a Luthier in UK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGUe...&feature=share

[gmel555]

Originally Posted by Cool555

Interesting video on the tone of a torrefied guitar made by a Luthier in UK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGUe...&feature=share

Thanks for posting this.🙂 Interesting take and perspective. I now want an NK Forster guitar... LOL

[HippieDave]

I think torrefication or torrefaction or whatever the word is, may be too generalized a concept. It is a classic YMMV situation.

I recently acquired a custom Goodall with a torrefied Adi top I selected. Before finishing it was a warm 'toast' color. After finishing it is a deep warm cedar-like color. The guitar has a spectacular sound. How much of this is the top.. a lot I think. But its a goodall too. The top was torrefied by someone up in Canada who supplies the Goodalls with Adi tonewood.

At the same time, I have a new Martin HD 28 Modern Deluxe which has Martin's torrefied process on a Sitka top. The color is identical to any other Sitka tops. The tone is quite nice, but I honestly couldn't say its a 'blow me away' sound.

I suspect Martin's torrefication process and others' processes vary quite a bit, and I suspect the result does as well.

[Cool555]

Originally Posted by gmel555

Thanks for posting this.[emoji846] Interesting take and perspective. I now want an NK Forster guitar... LOL

Haha. Me too...must manage my GAS. It’s an awesome guitar for finger-picking...endless sustain!

[Cool555]

Originally Posted by HippieDave

I think torrefication or torrefaction or whatever the word is, may be too generalized a concept. It is a classic YMMV situation.



I recently acquired a custom Goodall with a torrefied Adi top I selected. Before finishing it was a warm 'toast' color. After finishing it is a deep warm cedar-like color. The guitar has a spectacular sound. How much of this is the top.. a lot I think. But its a goodall too. The top was torrefied by someone up in Canada who supplies the Goodalls with Adi tonewood.



At the same time, I have a new Martin HD 28 Modern Deluxe which has Martin's torrefied process on a Sitka top. The color is identical to any other Sitka tops. The tone is quite nice, but I honestly couldn't say its a 'blow me away' sound.



I suspect Martin's torrefication process and others' processes vary quite a bit, and I suspect the result does as well.

Yes. I also think that the torrefication done by Goddall, Martin, Taylor, Yamaha and the other guitar makers varies.

[ChalkLitIScream]

Originally Posted by Cool555

Thanks for reply!

Is your Taylor 614 a torrefied top?

Indeed! I love it’s crisp tone that outshone all other guitars where I got it.


As for why the sound varies between baked tops of different makers, they each have their own formulas. Goodall and other top makers give individual attention to voice their guitars, while at factory made ones, they use the same standard for all guitars, and you need to pick out the good ones

[Edgar Poe]

Originally Posted by redir

I'm building two guitars with torrified red spruce tops now. A first for me. It's interesting stuff for sure. One thing I recently notices is that a powerful bright lite inside the body cavity of a good guitar will show the bracing ghosting through the top of the guitar. On torrified tops no light what so ever shows through. This mimics what you see in guitars that were built 100 years or so ago. The other thing is that if you dent a torrified top you cannot steam it out. Steam has no affect on the wood at all. It feels like driftwood when you handle it. It's brittle. It's very different.

This is my concern exactly.
If we artificially speed up the aging of the Soundboard, how do we know if indeed we have shortened the life of the guitar by the number of years we have advanced the aging of the top ? The term Brittle scares me in relation to the soundboard on a guitar.
I'm sure that Torrefaction does work, but what is the trade off ?

Ed

[Pura Vida]

If the torrified wood is similar in structure to a 50yo guitar top, then is it reasonable to think that the life expectancy of a guitar top made in the late 1960s (but with newer body, bracing, hardware, etc.)? And if so, not many people hold off buying a late 1960s guitar with a top in great condition, unless something else structurally is going on (like needing a neck reset) or they don't like the sound.

Anyway, my point is that the longevity of these torrified guitars is unknown, but not sure if I would let it keep me from playing one. In many cases, guitars outlast their owners (now that's a happy thought for this Friday afternoon!).

[HippieDave]

Stradivari violins are in the range of 300 years old, and as far as I know, still going strong. If torrefying guitar tops mimics the aging process, I don't see why a reasonable life span of several hundred years isn't possible. I mean, you might need a neck reset in there somewhere....