PDA

View Full Version : Mandolin tonewood sets



stevesrustyone
Feb-06-2008, 1:56am
I am in need of Tonewood sold as a matched set for mandolin
build. Who are the Best of the Best that does this? I know of Standard suppliers such as Stew/Mac and LMI. I am just not happy with what they offer. Any posted links would be appreciated.

Keep on Pickin'

Thanks,

Stevesrustyone http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

GD Armstrong
Feb-06-2008, 2:26am
Bruce Harvey - Orcas Island Tonewoods Orcas Island Tonewoods (www.rockisland.com/~tonewoods/Home.html) he posts here as "Spruce". Let him know what you're looking for & he'll pick it out for you. Great wood, great guy!

Bill Snyder
Feb-06-2008, 9:13am
I am curious what is wrong with LMI's offering? It would appear to be a nice set looking at their catalog.

John Flynn
Feb-06-2008, 9:36am
I know that Gilchrist and Bussman have said they like Old Standard in Fulton, MO.

martinedwards
Feb-06-2008, 9:42am
I get mine from the dumpster at the back of a major shopfitters company near me.......:p

REALLY!!

Bob C, the Zoot man (http://www.rctonewoods.com/)

RevJB
Feb-06-2008, 10:01am
Hmm this makes me pause... I was looking at LMI's big leaf maple kit w/ back, sides & neck blank, good flame, and 1st grade Spruce top for my first scratch build...

Hans
Feb-06-2008, 10:11am
There is nothing wrong with LMI or Stew-Mac wood. It's what you do with it that counts. Bruce Harvey has some very fine tonewood as does International Violin. A builder will usually get wood from many sources as there is no one supplier of all the different tonewoods.

Spruce
Feb-06-2008, 12:29pm
"Who are the Best of the Best that does this?"

What species¿¿¿

European or domestic¿¿

If domestic, Left Coast or Right¿¿

Every supplier has their specialties, along with strengths and weaknesses, so it would really help if you narrowed it down a bit as to what you're looking for...

Oh, and a few of the "Best of the Best" suppliers save their "Best of the Best" wood for the "Best of the Best" builders... # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

arbarnhart
Feb-06-2008, 12:41pm
Oh, and a few of the "Best of the Best" suppliers save their "Best of the Best" wood for the "Best of the Best" builders... # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
Then he sends me the pallet from underneath it to make folk instruments out of... #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e396/arbarnhart/AB%20Folk%20Instruments/roundbottom3.jpg

Jeff Hildreth
Feb-06-2008, 12:48pm
Try Roger Siminoff as well as the others mentioned

billhay4
Feb-06-2008, 1:02pm
Spruce is dead on. I would add that a really experienced luthier wants to hold and tap and flex and smell wood before he or she chooses it for an instrument. You cannot hand responsibility for selecting tonewood over to a wood dealer. At first, you may have to rely on dealers, but at some point you have to learn what kind of wood you want and how to recognize it when you see it.
Bill

thistle3585
Feb-06-2008, 2:28pm
"Who are the Best of the Best that does this?"

What species¿¿¿

European or domestic¿¿

If domestic, Left Coast or Right¿¿

Every supplier has their specialties, along with strengths and weaknesses, so it would really help if you narrowed it down a bit as to what you're looking for...

Oh, and a few of the "Best of the Best" suppliers save their "Best of the Best" wood for the "Best of the Best" builders... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
So, what are your weaknesses Spruce? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

stevesrustyone
Feb-06-2008, 3:56pm
I am not a big fan of Big Leaf Maple. I guess I am going to Europe for the Best of the Best.

Thanks for Information and the Insults.

billhay4
Feb-06-2008, 4:10pm
Steve,
I looked back over the posts and didn't see any insults at all.
However, I do detect a defensive attitude. People here on the Cafe usually try to help and I think they did in this case.
Maybe your original question, not their responses, created the problem in that it was vague, elitist, and challenging instead of an attempt to solicit real help.
Maybe...
Bill

markishandsome
Feb-06-2008, 6:31pm
I am not a big fan of Big Leaf Maple. I guess I am going to Europe for the Best of the Best.


I don't understand. Old Standard also sells Red and Sugar maple. From their website:

"Finding the best wood is as easy or difficult as finding the best wood supplier. Thanks Old Standard Wood, for the best maple and spruce and the best service." Steve Gilchrist

If you can't be bothered to perform even a rudimentary google search on your own, I don't see why you're so offended that you got some slightly condescending responses. I'd take it as more of a reality check than an insult.

Spruce
Feb-08-2008, 10:49am
"So, what are your weaknesses Spruce?"

Domestic Eastern woods. #
I used to have a mill on the East Coast in the early 90´s milling Red Spruce and Red Maple, but gave it up later that decade...
Too much travelling....

Also European for the same reason.

Actually generally speaking, the best place to get high quality woods is from mills working the area where the species you are after grow....
The live on-site, and see the best logs rollin´ by when they show up...

Hans
Feb-08-2008, 1:03pm
It merits repeating: There is no "Best of the best of the best, sir!" (Will Smith, MIB). It's what you do with the wood. A builder can make some pretty outrageous mandolins with some very plain wood. Going to Europe is fine (try SVS or Gleissner), but you won't find red, Sitka, Englemann, or cedars; you won't find red, sugar, bigleaf (I know... you don't like it), or silver maples. None of the maples are likely to be flatsawn either. That's going to severely limit the tonal qualities of your completed instrument. Properly built, Euro spruce and quartered Euro maple make a great mandolin, but likely bluegrass folk won't care for it.
Good luck.