one piece backs vs. two piece backs

[jaco]

From what I've read there seems to be a school of thought that a one piece is more desirable as far as sound. It would seem there is an argument that the one piece doesn't need time to "grow together" in the opening up process. I've have an archtop guitar (Guibson L4) and a new mandolin that are one piece and am very happy with both. How bout you guys and gals?

[Pedal Steel Mike]

My Rigel F hole A+ has a one piece back and the oval hole A+ has a 2 piece back. I prefer the tone of the oval hole, but I'm sure that has a lot more to do with the sound hole than the back.

[arbarnhart]

I haven't encountered that school of thought at all. A really dazzling quilted piece of wood sometimes cries out to be used as one piece. The classic way seem to be bookmatching, which lets you get a better grain orientation and structural symmetry, so a two piece back is probably more likely to be acoustically balanced. It seems a mostly aesthetic issue though.

[Jim Yates]

With fiddles, I've heard that the bookmatched backs are more desirable. Mine is a one piece, very curly, but I'm not much of a fiddle player.

[Bob DeVellis]

I think it's harder to find a single piece of wood big enough for a mandolin back that has good figure and all the other qualities you'd want. For that reason, a nice one-piece back may be kind of a premium option. But I don't think it's objectively superior or inferior in any way. Just personal preference.

[steve V. johnson]

I had some emails with Ken Ratcliff and he referred to a one-piece back as desireable, but I didn't ask him why.

stv

[Jim Hilburn]

There can be a physical difference in that a 1 piece is often made from slab-sawn wood, although it's still possible to find quartered boards that are wide enough, it's just more rare.
So, a slabsawn board MAY be more flexible in the recurve area at the rear of the back because it doesn't have the vertical grain to stiffen it there, but there are a lot of other factors like grain density and type of maple to consider also. I think in general, it's still more cosmetic than anything.

[Jim Hilburn]

And one more thing I forgot to mention. The main element is what the builder does with whatever wood is being used.

[BlueMountain]

I have two mandolins with a one piece back: a Smart and a Ratliff. They both have really wonderful tone, but quite different. I'm skeptical about the tone being different, though slab cut versus quartered might make a difference, though I couldn't identify it.

[John Craton]

With fiddles, I've heard that the bookmatched backs are more desirable. #
The question often comes up in violin circles, and from everything I have read (and from my own experience) there is no acoustical difference between having a one-piece or two-piece back. Luthiers make one or the other depending on the size of the wood they have to work with. Any player preference is simply a matter of aesthetics.