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Thread: Top wood

  1. #1
    Registered User John Bertotti's Avatar
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    Default Top wood

    I have seen all kinds og top woods, engleman, sitka, colorado blue, and other sprices, cedar, redwood, but what other woods have been used for tops on mandolins. I thought I saw a koa top once. Thanks!
    My avatar is of my OldWave Oval A

    Creativity is just doing something wierd and finding out others like it.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Top wood

    This is the most concrete answer you're going to get: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...crete-mandolin

  3. The following members say thank you to Marty Jacobson for this post:

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  4. #3
    Registered User John Bertotti's Avatar
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    Default Re: Top wood

    Almost forgot about CF, I have seen that but not in person, but concrete! wow! And it sounds good.
    My avatar is of my OldWave Oval A

    Creativity is just doing something wierd and finding out others like it.

  5. #4
    Registered User fox's Avatar
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    Default Re: Top wood

    I have been using Monterey Cypress for around five years, I have built six strings, octave mandolins and tenor guitars.
    The problem would be finding a similar tree that could offer the same results for you.
    The tree in question was 180 odd years old and grown locally where I live, so the same species might not offer the same qualities if it has been grown in a different climate?
    Anyway, my Cypress has been a wonderful find, it has a beautiful colour, smells lovely and is pretty stiff and hard for a softwood.
    Click image for larger version. 

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  6. #5
    Teacher, repair person
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    Default Re: Top wood

    Just about any variety of conifer will work if it's stiff enough, not too resinous [yellow pine would be no good], and quarter-sawn.

    I would rather use a good piece of Sitka than a mediocre piece of red spruce.

    Lynn Dudenbostel told me that the best top wood he has in stock is from Eastern Europe, but not many of his customers want it. They all want red spruce instead.

    It is not unlikely that the majority of the old Gibsons were made of the Michigan white spruce that grows on the upper peninsula. Although it looks similar to Eastern red spruce, it is a different species. The Larsons may have used it also.

    George Gruhn knows several guitar makers who have used Douglas fir with success.

    Yes, some mandolins have been built with Koa tops. Most of them were cant-top mandolins, not carved top mandolins. Martin made about 1300 koa mandolins between 1918 and 1937. I have not played one, so I don't know whether or not the tone and projection is any good.

  7. #6

    Default Re: Top wood

    Quote Originally Posted by rcc56 View Post

    “Lynn Dudenbostel told me that the best top wood he has in stock is from Eastern Europe, but not many of his customers want it. They all want red spruce.”
    Lynn’s a pretty credible source of information (understatement &#128526.

    I have a Buckeye, built by Pete Hart, who used Carpathian spruce (which would qualify as Eastern European, I suppose). Pete recommended it, too, and I’ve been very pleased with the tone

  8. #7
    My Florida is scooped pheffernan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Top wood

    Quote Originally Posted by rcc56 View Post
    Just about any variety of conifer will work if it's stiff enough, not too resinous [yellow pine would be no good], and quarter-sawn.
    David Newton, who has been known to post here, has built guitars with long-leaf yellow pine.

    http://davidnewtonguitars.squarespace.com

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