"Bear Claw"...yay or nay?

[Erithon]

Originally Posted by nootis

Yeah, I like a little bear claw and figured wood too.

Gorgeous Hatcher! Lovely bearclaw, lovely Amboyna Burl.

[Br1ck]

It seems to me that a little bear claw is a flaw, a lot is a very desirable premium wood.

I've no doubt that the wood used in my 70 Guild D 35 was made from the crappy wood pile, considering how easily available clear straight grained spruce was back then. I'm surprised it wasn't painted cherry red and used on a D 25.

[alnico5]

My 1996 412 has some bear claw. I had never heard the term before. It was several years after purchase before I knew what it was. I took it for the "wood nature provided."

I bought the guitar for the sound. I think it looks fine.

I would also order a streaked ebony fret board if possible. The thought of non-perfectly black ebony trees being cut down and left to rot on the forest floor is sick.

[donlyn]

"Bear Claw"...yay or nay?


NAY!

Even if I really like how the guitar plays but there is a lot of bear claw on it, I would probably pass on it. It would deeply affect any price for me.

On the other hand my Taylor 818e has a streaked ebony fretboard and I really like it that way. Go figure.

De gustibus non disputandum.

Don
.

[Wellington]

Doesn't bother me, adds character.

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by Shuksan

Depends on the bear claw. I don't like it if it's spotty or unevenly distributed over the top or if it looks random. Some bear claw wood produces nice symmetrical patterns when book matched and I like tops made from that type of bear claw wood. It's more interesting to look at than a plain top.

I'm not necessary a fan of spotty, but I actually like it when it's unevenly distributed and random. Wood is an organic substance, and the bearclaw reminds us of that, so we don't all have boring, symmetrical tops (not being judgmental; a clean, straight-grain top is fine too).

I have three guitars with noticeable bearclaw figuring. Two are more faint (although the guitars are fairly new Adi tops) and more prominent on the treble side; I think both of these guitars are beautiful. One is a travel guitar that I won, and it has 2-3 long streaks; not something that I would ever pick, but the guitar has an amazing tone (for its size, anyway), so I can look past its unique look. A few others have several small spots that look like bearclaw, but without the longer streaks. I love all their character!

[flaggerphil]

Yay. I love bear claw. It make me happy.

[gfirob]

Martin used to reject all tops with bear claw in them, but they were throwing away a lot of spruce. In a management meeting, Mike Longworth said "Just charge more for it." And that's what they did. Longworth told me it has no effect on the sound at all, as far as they were concerned. They grade by appearance not by sound.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Rixtoy

Well, truth be known -
I kind of liked the look - until I explained it to my wife and she said - "Those aren't bear claw marks - those are STRETCH marks!".
now - I can't unsee that . . . Sorry.

I'm Rolling, Bro!

[mattwood]

I like it as I think at adds some uniqueness to the guitar. What is the difference between chatoyance and bearclaw? I have some chatoyance on my Larrivee L-03Z with a moonwood top.

[Erithon]

Originally Posted by mattwood

IWhat is the difference between chatoyance and bearclaw? I have some chatoyance on my Larrivee L-03Z with a moonwood top.

Chatoyancy refers to the 3D effect caused by the fibrous structure of wood, gems, etc. reflecting light in different directions. Think highly quilted or flamed wood. Honduran Mahogany from "The Tree" is the ultimate example of this.

Bearclaw is also the result of the direction of that fibrous structure being redirected from its original vector in isolated areas. So it can produce a chatoyant effect.

[bufflehead]

My favorite Sitka top has a narrow grain, and single bear claw, and marvelous silking. The way those three elements work together is spectacular.

Although I like bear claw, some tops have too much. In terms of my own aesthetic, little goes a long way.

[The Bard Rocks]

Why does anyone like Bearclaw? The easy analogy is to turn the guitar over. Do you like figure on the back? Then why not on the front?

Only one of mine has bear claw - but it has it in spades. I love it. I also love an Adk top I have with pinkish imperfections running through it. Both add character and create interest. Neither makes it sound any better or any worse. And, like knotty pine (for which you now pay extra to get wood that would have been thrown away once, how's that for marketing?), at one time both were regarded as imperfections, until someone decided, imperfect or not, they were pretty.

[gmel555]

I guess -like most things- it depends. Some I like and some I don't and I generally don't favor it on bright, whiter (new?) spruce tops. When I do like it, it's usually on a top with an aged or darker visual tone; but again just an opinion.

[L20A]

I don't go looking for a guitar with Bear Claw but I don't reject them either.
Some guitars look nice with it.