Redwood Top

[yankees1]

What sound differences could you expect from a redwood top vs spruce top ?

[billhay4]

Depends on the individual pieces of wood.
Bill

[George R. Lane]

I think he is looking for a general observation between the two.

[yankees1]

I think he is looking for a general observation between the two.

Correct !

[George R. Lane]

here is a Sorenson with a redwood top audio file.

http://www.themandolinstore.com/scri...idproduct=9612

[fatt-dad]

I love my redwood-topped Cohen!

It sounds different from my other mandolins. Some of that is related to the wood - some the builder. It also has walnut back and sides. So add that to the mix also.

No reservations about having a walnut/redwood mandolin. None at all. That said, I'd played a few of his other redwood-topped mandolins.

f-d

[billhay4]

I know he was looking for general observations and that was mine.
Bill

[Frank Farley]

Ray Dearstone describes redwood as woody sounding.I have no experience with it myself.

[shawnbrock]

It don't just depend on the different pieces of wood, but also the builder. To me Ray Dearstone's redwood tops have the same sweetness of tone as his spruce tops, but the redwood has a little deeper bass. Some people or builders will say that redwood don't project as well as spruce, because its softer, and often is graduated a little thicker because of this. I would say that normally redwood offers a more dark or woody or mellow or sweeter sound over all. Though I have never owned a mandolin with a redwood top, I love the sound, and would be glad to have an instrument made with it.

[Jim Garber]

Ray Dearstone describes redwood as woody sounding.I have no experience with it myself.

Very funny. I would describe almost every wood as woody sounding. I suppose every mandolin except maybe a New Mad and a National might be woody sounding.

I think Shawnbrock's observations are a little more descriptive.

[yankees1]

I noticed in the classifieds that Michael Heiden has built a redwood top F5 which he states is the first redwood top mandolin he has built.

[Steve-o]

I would say that normally redwood offers a more dark or woody or mellow or sweeter sound over all.

I would agree with this description. I had a redwood topped, walnut backed oval hole. It was very warm and sweet sounding but not very loud (possibly due to the oval hole and transverse brace). I also played a Dave Cohen redwood/walnut C# at Elderly. It was one of the best sounding mandolins I ever played and had decent volume too.

[Steve Sorensen]

The "woody tone" described here reminds me of running my hand over a really old cedar cuban cigar box. That really light, dry, aged feeling can be conveyed into the tone of a redwood-topped mandolin and be very lush, mature and full very early in the instrument's life.

Steve

[billhay4]

It don't just depend on the different pieces of wood, but also the builder.

This is correct and should have been included in my original remark.
Bill

[Frank Farley]

"Woody" is the word that is used on the Dearstone websight to describe Dempsey Young's and Shawn Lane's redwood topped mandolins by Ray in the article"An interview with Ray Dearstone.I'm not very good at describing tone so you can't go wrong when you describe a mandolin as sounding "woody" as long as it's made of wood.

[sunburst]

I think he is looking for a general observation between the two.

Don't we all.....

[TDMpicker]

Just listen to a Shawn Lane solo on any of the Blue Highway tunes and you'll hear what a redwood top sounds like. I have a Dearstone F style with a redwood top and people are always amazed at the tone. You can feel the vibration on your chest when you play the low end.

[Spruce]

Just listen to a Shawn Lane solo on any of the Blue Highway tunes and you'll hear what a redwood top sounds like.

Just listen to a Shawn Lane solo on any of the Blue Highway tunes and you'll hear what a redwood top can sound like.

[Steve Sorensen]

Here is a recording Matthew Pustina -- from the Anchorage, AK band Hot Dish -- posted of his Redwood topped Sprite Two-Point. Amazing for a two track recording he did "while on lunch break without headphones to hear the results".

Tico Tico by Matthew P

The mandolin --



Makes me excited to have a good stash of old redwood for future builds!

Steve