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Old 08-19-2023, 09:07 AM
Emile640 Emile640 is offline
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Default Commissioning a Redwood guitar, debating various choices for B&S

Hi all,

I'm commissioning a redwood guitar and am debating which B&S I want to get between claro walnut, BRW (expensive upgrade +1500), or Honduran Rosewood (have 2 other instruments that are excellent with that wood). Anyone have any opinions on these combos?
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Old 08-19-2023, 09:24 AM
Larrison Larrison is offline
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Originally Posted by Emile640 View Post
Hi all,



I'm commissioning a redwood guitar and am debating which B&S I want to get between claro walnut, BRW (expensive upgrade +1500), or Honduran Rosewood (have 2 other instruments that are excellent with that wood). Anyone have any opinions on these combos?


What music do you play and what are your favorite guitars currently?
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Old 08-19-2023, 09:41 AM
Gitfiddlemann Gitfiddlemann is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Emile640 View Post
Hi all,

I'm commissioning a redwood guitar and am debating which B&S I want to get between claro walnut, BRW (expensive upgrade +1500), or Honduran Rosewood (have 2 other instruments that are excellent with that wood). Anyone have any opinions on these combos?
I have a redwood top and BRW combination guitar by luthier Mark Blanchard, his Pinyon model (Size 00-12) that is very sweet sounding. Just like I wanted.
I let Mark guide me into picking the woods, just solely based on what I had for playing goals. And luthiers in his class can really deliver.
Here's a sample of what it sounds like:

So, definitely talk to your luthier and try your best to define what you're after. Let him or her do the rest. All the woods you mentioned can work....with the right builder.
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Old 08-19-2023, 10:49 AM
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I vote for rosewood as well but perhaps not dalbergia Nigra. I think Dalbergia melanoxlon (African Blackwood) would sound just as nice and be a beautiful counter point to the redwood top. There are other options and I gravitate to darker woods. I have paired redwood with bog oak, again black and red, and with a Brazilian rosewood that was so dark that it looked like Blackwood. However I think a nice Indian Rosewood or even a dark walnut would look very nice and given the right luthier would sound great. Its hard for potential buyer to give up control of the sound to someone else, I understand that, but ultimately no amount of suggestions given on this forum will give you better control than the selection you make of who builds it.
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Old 08-19-2023, 10:58 AM
Emile640 Emile640 is offline
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What music do you play and what are your favorite guitars currently?
I play fingerstyle similar to Al Petteway. Also, the builder specializes in BRW.
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Old 08-19-2023, 11:18 AM
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Well, you can’t go wrong with any of those three…..I am a rosewood guy hands down but prefer Adi or some type of European spruce tops with my rosewood……

With redwood ( and I have owned a redwood over braz guitar before ), I would go with the Claro walnut…..I think they pair better together….the warmth of the redwood and Honduran or Braz may just get too dark and warm - which is not a bad thing….I think the walnut will give you a bit of punch and maybe more note clarity than the rosewoods….

I have a red cedar top over Bastogne walnut guitar right now and love it…

All opinions from me - I am no expert…
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Old 08-19-2023, 11:25 AM
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Some great choices, Emile. Years ago, my own builder described the combo of Cocobolo and Redwood (LS Redwood) as "magical". Turned out beautifully! The color match with the Cocobolo and Redwood can be a winner as well.

[IMG][/IMG]

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Old 08-19-2023, 11:57 AM
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I have a custom redwood/walnut Lowden O model. I like the tone (which I'm bad at describing), but relatively airy and transparent compared to their rosewood B/S version, which can be too dark.

It's a Lowden, so it has the Irish guitar thing going on, and overall tone you're shooting for could be quite different. And if the builder knows BRW best...
Curious to know what the builder thinks of trying walnut.

I never had a walnut guitar on my radar, but glad I stumbled into one.
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Old 08-19-2023, 12:40 PM
Emile640 Emile640 is offline
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I have a custom redwood/walnut Lowden O model. I like the tone (which I'm bad at describing), but relatively airy and transparent compared to their rosewood B/S version, which can be too dark.

It's a Lowden, so it has the Irish guitar thing going on, and overall tone you're shooting for could be quite different. And if the builder knows BRW best...
Curious to know what the builder thinks of trying walnut.

I never had a walnut guitar on my radar, but glad I stumbled into one.
He’s interested and agreeable to using walnut. Thank you for your insights.
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Old 08-19-2023, 12:45 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gitfiddlemann View Post
I have a redwood top and BRW combination guitar by luthier Mark Blanchard, his Pinyon model (Size 00-12) that is very sweet sounding. Just like I wanted.
I let Mark guide me into picking the woods, just solely based on what I had for playing goals. And luthiers in his class can really deliver.
Here's a sample of what it sounds like:

So, definitely talk to your luthier and try your best to define what you're after. Let him or her do the rest. All the woods you mentioned can work....with the right builder.
Beautiful job!
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Old 08-19-2023, 12:54 PM
RLetson RLetson is offline
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My first question would be, can you audition any of the builder's similar instruments? Materials alone are not absolute predictors of outcomes.

FWIW, I own two redwood-top guitars by the same builder, one Indian rosewood and the other mahogany, and I've played other examples of his redwood guitars, notably a curly walnut and a ribbon mahogany that were built to the same formula (and in the same batch) as my rosewood model. They all have similar voices (and my favorite is the IR example I've had for nearly 30 years), which I attribute as much to the builder's designs and execution (bracing, scale length, neck design) as to the materials. The rosewood guitar's bass range sounds to me tighter than the mahogany's--but the mahogany has a slightly larger and quite differently-shaped body (along the lines of a Santa Cruz F), which probably accounts for some of the difference.

I also have a redwood-over-walnut archtop by a different builder, but it's such a different creature from the flat-tops that comparisons would not be helpful. It is, however, a terrific instrument that compares favorably with spruce/maple guitars.
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Old 08-19-2023, 03:13 PM
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We’ve had the pleasure of building redwood guitars with all the woods mentioned and have enjoyed each one.



Pictured above is a Claro walnut SJ that we built about five years ago. Currently we are building a 00 with Brazilian for the BIG show in two weeks.

My advice with redwood pairing is similar to my advice for most guitars: use a less dense wood the bigger the guitar, denser for smaller guitars. So walnut if you’re commissioning a large guitar, Honduran for something small. Brazilian being of a medium density spans most sizes well.

Of course there are many exceptions either way, but I think you set yourself up for success with this general rule.
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Old 08-19-2023, 03:33 PM
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I have several redwood guitars all with different back and sides. I think the biggest "what if" in this question is the redwood itself which can be quite variable. Get a good redwood top and I think any back and sides work well with the right builder. I have a Redwood BRW and a Redwood Claro Walnut for example and they are great guitars, but with a great Redwood top as the starting point.

Having said the above, I would look at the builders who replied here, Kinnaird East and Kinnaird West for the best advice. Oh yeah, I have guitars from both of them also.
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Old 08-19-2023, 04:25 PM
Emile640 Emile640 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nacluth View Post
We’ve had the pleasure of building redwood guitars with all the woods mentioned and have enjoyed each one.



Pictured above is a Claro walnut SJ that we built about five years ago. Currently we are building a 00 with Brazilian for the BIG show in two weeks.

My advice with redwood pairing is similar to my advice for most guitars: use a less dense wood the bigger the guitar, denser for smaller guitars. So walnut if you’re commissioning a large guitar, Honduran for something small. Brazilian being of a medium density spans most sizes well.

Of course there are many exceptions either way, but I think you set yourself up for success with this general rule.
That guitar is absolutely gorgeous!
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Old 08-19-2023, 04:44 PM
Gitfiddlemann Gitfiddlemann is offline
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Beautiful job!
Thank you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by nacluth View Post
We’ve had the pleasure of building redwood guitars with all the woods mentioned and have enjoyed each one.



Pictured above is a Claro walnut SJ that we built about five years ago. Currently we are building a 00 with Brazilian for the BIG show in two weeks.

My advice with redwood pairing is similar to my advice for most guitars: use a less dense wood the bigger the guitar, denser for smaller guitars. So walnut if you’re commissioning a large guitar, Honduran for something small. Brazilian being of a medium density spans most sizes well.

Of course there are many exceptions either way, but I think you set yourself up for success with this general rule.
Really beautiful guitar! And tastefully designed. The way the bevel matches the rosette is visually very appealing.
Walnut must pair up especially well with redwood. It seems to be a combination that comes up often in conversation whenever the player is considering redwood as a top. It did in my case as well now that I recall.
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