Exploiting wood's imperfections

[WoodyMcKenzie]

Here is the eye on the back of the guitar. This is my main guitar. It's sort of a Nick Lucas copy. The sides are laminated from walnut. The back is made of two walnut veneers with a sitka spruce middle layer. Binding is holly. The whole guitar is put together with fish glue.

[pjlama]

For years it's been in vogue for electric bass builders to use the most wild spalts and burls, the most desirable being burled buckeye. You pay a lot to have a rotted top on a hand made electric bass. Here's an example from a great builder and my close friend Rob Elrick.

[kestrel]

Several months ago I sliced and book-matched some wildly figured, forty-year-air-dried, black walnut crotch wood, that want to use for the back of my second mando build. After wet-wiping it two or three times, to show the grain, it has dried into a really gnarled and twisted piece. I would love to exploit the natural weirdness of the grain, but due to the stresses from supporting the huge limb, I’m afraid it may be too unstable and may explode. It’ll be a flat back with an induced 15’ arch. The limb/board was about fifteen-inches at the crotch, so the internal stresses had to be phenomenal. It was a huge old tree. My latest thoughts are to maybe glue this to another, more stable piece of wood, then thickness the whole, with this piece at veneer thickness. You folks have any opinions – suggestions?

I tried to attach a photo, but don't know how.

[Martin Jonas]

For what it's worth, my 1915 Embergher has a small knot in the maple bowl. Looks fine and I don't mind.

Martin

[niaflsbob]

I ALSO DO SOME WOODWORKING (ALTHOUGH NOT INSTRUMENT MAKING) AND I LIKE TO BUY WOOD THAT HAS "FLAWS". A GOOD EXAMPLE IS #2 PINE THAT HAS KNOTS AND PATTERNS, ETC VS CLEAR PINE. ALL THOSE IMPERFECTIONS GIVE YOUR FINISHED PIECE INDIVIDUALITY AND CHARACTER, IMHO. WHY NOT THE SAME IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS?

[Avi Ziv]

And here is some proof that professionals play instruments with some very serious wood imperfections ..... FF to the 1 minute mark and watch for the guitar player carefully. Notice anything odd about the instrument?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGJPjWMffeI



Avi

[wichitamando]

That is seriously distressed!

[Martin Jonas]

Reminds me of Joey Burns of Calexico. Maybe a pickguard would have been in order...

Martin

[JEStanek]

Makes you wonder if there's money to made in that...

We had Jay Smar play a concert at our church a few years ago. He plays a pretty beat up old guitar that has tons of mojo and sounded great. I think it had an extra soundhole or two on top... not as much as either of the last youtube vids but still had some. that's the kind of distressing only the owner should be allowed to do.

Jamie

[whistler]

And here is some proof that professionals play instruments with some very serious wood imperfections ..... FF to the 1 minute mark and watch for the guitar player carefully. Notice anything odd about the instrument?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGJPjWMffeI



Avi

I'm think the wood may have acquired that imperfection [/I]after[I] being made into an instrument, not before. Certainly has more than the usual complement of soundholes, that guitar. But it's not particularly surprising that that should happen, if you've ever seen Steve Cooney play. Anyway, maybe he liked the effect on the sound - a larger total soundhole area increases the Helmholtz frequency, so it ought to sound brighter.::

[Avi Ziv]

I realize it was a man-made defect, whistler. It was just a funny sight so I posted it. Sorry to sidetrack the discussion. Back to our program now

[PhilGE]

Woody, that "looks" great!

-Phil