Woody tone

**reb0964** · Oct-31-2007, 8:57pm

I play bluegrass mandolin and love the good woody tone that some of these players have in their mandolins...What type of wood for top,,or how tone bars shaped and how thick back or tops ,,,what is the "sorta formula" to acheive the type of sound in building mandolins to this tone... My first one i built has this type of tone but the second and third are more tintier sounds and not the lower sound i like.......what combined techniques will give me what i am looking for??

Thanks for all the help,,,,Russell

**labraid** · Oct-31-2007, 10:00pm

"woody" -- describe this for us.

Generally the formula is: spend lotsa years getting it close, then one day you'll get it right.

**Antlurz** · Oct-31-2007, 10:31pm

If you still have all three of them, start comparing the differences between them. Compare anything that is different, from the plate species, to the thickness, the arching, etc. All of those seemingly inconsequential things add up..

Was there something on that first one you did and then decided you didn't like it and changed on the other two? If so, I'd take another look at what you changed.

Ron

**OrienM** · Nov-01-2007, 2:13pm

I wish I had this one down to a formula. Practice! Like Ron says, think about what the best sounding one has that the others don't. I've been noticing what a big effect the back graduation has on the tone, so that might be something to check out too.

I string mine up in the white to finish scraping the recurves on the top and back. It helps me hear what's going on while I work, might be something to try.

**David Newton** · Nov-01-2007, 3:57pm

I love the concept of the "woody tone".
I don't think there is a formula, but my idea of how to achieve it is to build "loose" or "relaxed" as in not forcing any joint, expecially the top and back, when gluing anything together.
Will building relaxed achieve a woody tone? Don't know! The pursuit of the woody tone is a worthwhile endeavor.

**Michael Lewis** · Nov-02-2007, 12:35am

As "old" Mr. Dean suggested, describe it to us. Herein lies the difficulty, to describe tonal qualities in words. Over the years I have heard many folks remark about one mandolin or another saying "what a woody tone it has". Sometimes they were talking about an instrument that was bright, sometimes they were referring to one that was dark and muddy sounding, other times they were referring to the chop, and at other times it would be the crisp clear tone, or yet again the "woof". It is no wonder that some words have more than one meaning!

**sean parker** · Nov-02-2007, 4:07am

russell, when you say woody tone - i'm thinkin' dry (not overtone rich or "reverby") but without the brittleness of unbroken in instrument. if it's a carved top, then it will be reasonably well articulated, but with woody, i'd expect sweet trebles with not alot of edge, and a transparent bass - mellow with lots of string ummm.... the percussiveness of the string coming through.

being primarily a guitar player, i'd say if it's a guitar you're looking at a mahogany back 'n sides w/spruce top. up until now, not being a builder, i couldn't say what to do with regards to structure of a mandolin, but maybe you could consider walnut or mahogany, koa back 'n sides. #i'm sure the members who are building regularly, or full-time luthiers would be able to make suggestions regarding bracing and the like.

ohh..and perhaps an oval hole...

another thing is that this woody tone may have alot to do with the playing style, miking/recording and if they're using vintage instruments. just a thought.

woody tone is good

**van** · Nov-08-2007, 12:18am

I have been building about four years now and I have used allot of Cedar. I think that if you use a Cedar top with the hardwood of your choice as the back, you might find the sound that your after. Don't be afraid of Cedar, I have broke a few tops but it was because I slipped and fell on it not because of string tension.

**Bill Snyder** · Nov-08-2007, 7:31am

Van,
Haven't seen you post in a while. Good to see you back.

**billkilpatrick** · Nov-08-2007, 8:02am

Originally Posted by (reb0964 @ Oct. 31 2007, 21:57)

I play bluegrass mandolin and love the good woody tone that some of these players have in their mandolins...What type of wood for top,,or how tone bars shaped and how thick back or tops ,,,what is the "sorta formula" to acheive the type of sound in building mandolins to this tone... #My first one i built has this type of tone but the second and third are more tintier sounds and not the lower sound i like.......what combined techniques will give me what i am looking for?? #

# # #Thanks for all the help,,,,Russell

very far from building one of my own and i realize that instruments made on an assembly-line will vary slightly from one to the next, but is there a brand name mandolin - pac-rim or otherwise - which produces this "woody tone?"

- bill

**van** · Nov-08-2007, 4:34pm

Bill,
Glad to be back! Hope I can find the time to check out the Cafe, I have been building guitars but now I got Mando fever again.

**h2o-X** · Nov-08-2007, 5:16pm

I want to qualify this by saying that I don't want to generalize about specific builders' mandolins. And, while I know "woody" when I hear it, I am not certain how to describe what "woody" sounds like. To me, there is a certain hollowness to the tone. Sean Parker mentioned this earlier, woody instruments tend to sound dry.

I have played and or heard a handful of Stivers, and they had a woody tone. I have also played a few Givens, which seemed to me to have a woody tone.

**Kevin Briggs** · Nov-08-2007, 5:27pm

I've always thought that we say "woody" tone the same way we say coffee or beer has a nutty flavor. You can just tell, but it's hard to explain.

**markishandsome** · Nov-08-2007, 7:25pm

Oh I don't know, saying that coffee tastes like nuts is at least comparing apples to apples. What does wood sound like?

**Bernie Daniel** · Nov-08-2007, 7:57pm

Originally Posted by

What does wood sound like?

Good one! #Kind of like a Scarlet Tanager has a "burry" voice -- easier to say that he sounds liks an American Robin with a sore throat. #

Both statements are definately true but it is still hard to explain to people how you can tell which is which without seeing the bird. #But its pretty easy to do.