one piece back

[cgwilsonjr]

I am having a custom mandolin built. Can anyone elaborate on a one-piece back versus a two-peice back. If you used the same wood (big-leaf maple, for example) are there certain dirrerent tonal charactoristics imparted by each or is it more cosmetics. Thanks, Chuck

[Big Joe]

Just cosmetic. Some like the looks of a one piece, some like the two. Some don't care. If you find a good one piece they are nice but they don't really alter the tone.

[Pedal Steel Mike]

For whatever it's worth, my F hole Rigel has a one piece back and the back of my oval hole one is 2 pieces, and everybody who has compared them agrees that the oval hole sounds better.

[Greenmando]

For whatever it's worth, my F hole Rigel has a one piece back and the back of my oval hole one is 2 pieces, and everybody who has compared them agrees that the oval hole sounds better.

F holes and oval holes are the same as apples and oranges, you really can not compare them.

[Stephen Perry]

In the violin world, the differences attributed to one v. two piece backs can be accounted for by the tendency to allow slab sawn 1 piece backs, v. the universal insistence on quartered two piece backs.

[meskalito]

What about the grain of the wood?
Does the straightness (or lack thereof) of the grain affect the sound?
What about the thickness of the grain?

[sunburst]

The things that can affect the sound are the stiffness, density, thickness, and graduation of the back.
Unless there's something really wild going on in the grain, or severe runout, there is little affect on tone from grain alone.
In other words, in good tonewood, there is not much affect on tone from the grain.