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Post by Auf Kiltre on Apr 12, 2022 16:56:43 GMT -5
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Apr 13, 2022 10:02:55 GMT -5
Hmm... I'm a tad skeptical.
Highly figured woods for acoustic tops are problematic. They often lack a lot of longitudinal strength, and can belly up and look really funny. If you feel like you've seen a quilted/figured acoustic top before, think hard and I bet you'll remember it was a laminated top. Lacking that strength also hurts tone, especially projection. I'm sure they sound good, in a funny, muted way the same as when any mahogany top is used, but I can't imagine it being all that different.
As a back/side set, I'm sure it is great. Belize is where a lot of the great mahogany for pre-war Martins (think 18 style) and old Gibsons (those '59 LPs for example) were sourced, if I remember right. So.... this is a particularly good, figured version of that? Yeah, we know that it is a great wood, but it shouldn't be all that far beyond a known quantity at this point. We also know Brazilian rosewood is great, but hyping one particular tree of BR would be a bit suspect. Unless this is a different genus? If so, the article isn't making a good argument by leaving that out.
Also, the video clip of the guitar being played looks like it is synched to a studio version, and the amount of processing/compression on it is unfortunate for a real evaluation. It sounds like a great guitar, but it isn't all that compelling.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Apr 13, 2022 10:29:54 GMT -5
Also, the video clip of the guitar being played looks like it is synched to a studio version, and the amount of processing/compression on it is unfortunate for a real evaluation. It sounds like a great guitar, but it isn't all that compelling. And detuned for that sexy low end. I guess I never knew that mahogany could be that figured. It really is gorgeous. The tenacious pursuit for that one tree is pretty fascinating, if not embellished. The account of people building guitars from reclaimed wood from Hendrix' childhood home cracked me up.
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Post by Leftee on Apr 13, 2022 10:34:03 GMT -5
I've got an ash tree, here on the property, I've been cutting up that I hope to get a body or two out of. It would be a cool family thing.
And they might sound like poo.
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Post by hushnel on Apr 13, 2022 14:45:17 GMT -5
I enjoyed the article. I don’t buy into all the magic of the wood but I can understand the desire to own the rarity of the instruments and appreciate that the memory of an amazing tree is made into an instrument that will be cherished for likely a longer period of time than any other functions it could of been used for.
The part about the subjection of the tone based on aspects not associated with actual tone is a kind of a revelation, and interesting. The tone is both a real thing and at the same time subjective. One thing I know for sure is cheap crappy wood guitars exhibit obvious weaknesses, yet every once in a while even one of these can be a winner. My $80.00 Bulgarian made Kremona Classical Guitar punches way above it weight class.
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Apr 13, 2022 19:37:59 GMT -5
I enjoyed the article. I don’t buy into all the magic of the wood but I can understand the desire to own the rarity of the instruments and appreciate that the memory of an amazing tree is made into an instrument that will be cherished for likely a longer period of time than any other functions it could of been used for. The part about the subjection of the tone based on aspects not associated with actual tone is a kind of a revelation, and interesting. The tone is both a real thing and at the same time subjective. One thing I know for sure is cheap crappy wood guitars exhibit obvious weaknesses, yet every once in a while even one of these can be a winner. My $80.00 Bulgarian made Kremona Classical Guitar punches way above it weight class. I've also seen countless examples of people trying to use prized woods and making absolutely awful instruments. Sometimes it is because they're using what would have been cut offs half a century ago (a lot of Brazilian guitars now) and they just sound bad, sometimes it is because the really nice sets get sold on LMII or Stew Mac and some amateur gets them and makes trash, and other times it is because a manufacturer just sort of does a plug-n-play thing where they just drop wood off at the beginning of the process and make a guitar just like any other instrument they make, and any characteristics that might be worth while in those woods are never taken advantage of, because it is just being built to a general factory spec.
Often those failures are held up as "see? the wood doesn't matter!" but those are just instances where no one really knew HOW to make it matter.
When I'm independently wealthy (heh) I'd love to experiment with this. A 3-piece back 000 guitar with purple heart? Gotta try it.
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Post by Leftee on Apr 13, 2022 19:57:43 GMT -5
A lotta guys buy with their eyes. My most colorful guitars sell the best. 😂
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Apr 13, 2022 20:09:11 GMT -5
A lotta guys buy with their eyes. My most colorful guitars sell the best. 😂 I like the sound of green guitars because they resonate harmonically with the growing things in the world. And boogers.
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Post by rickyguitar on Apr 13, 2022 21:46:34 GMT -5
I am a bit skeptical but it was a fun read.
By the way I don't spend that kind of money on guitars.
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Apr 14, 2022 11:06:26 GMT -5
A lotta guys buy with their eyes. My most colorful guitars sell the best. 😂 I like the sound of green guitars because they resonate harmonically with the growing things in the world. And boogers.
That just gave me flashbacks to the A432 craze.... I still remember a client asking "you tuned this to A440?!" .... he rolls his eyes and explains "A440 is bad... bad for the earth and trees and stuff...."
Also, I like green.
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Post by rickyguitar on Apr 14, 2022 16:25:32 GMT -5
Oh no! 440 is bad for the planet! What have I done?
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Post by Leftee on Apr 16, 2022 11:47:03 GMT -5
Oh no! 440 is bad for the planet! What have I done? Not to worry. I offset you with 444.
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Vman
Wholenote
Posts: 194
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Post by Vman on Apr 17, 2022 9:13:39 GMT -5
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Apr 17, 2022 10:17:59 GMT -5
Oh man, Stew Mac selling those sets....
I've seen "luthiers" make stuff from the nice wood kits from LMII and Stew Mac. Uneven sanding, cracked side bends, cross grain scratches before finishing... middle school shop class skill levels trying to make guitars.
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Post by hushnel on Apr 17, 2022 11:28:44 GMT -5
Maybe not, I clicked the link and got a “can not find page” message. My ears are probably not sensitive enough to distinguish between top tier tone woods. I always wind up choosing Mahogany acoustics, usually with spruce, cedar or mahogany tops. I don’t own a dreadnought, I prefer the tone of smaller body size. My largest is the Martin 00015s, I actually prefer the tone of my 00-15, the 000-15s has a wider neck which I prefer.
I loved High-school shop class, I only had one year of it, the previous three high schools didn't offer wood shop. I still have a walnut pipe holder/rack I turned for my Uncle Jack, Aunt Jane gave it to me when he passed. Uncle Jack didn’t smoke a pipe.
He could do every thing. We built a drive way for his house out of old stone pavers from the 19th century streets of Pittsburgh, each stone was about 60 lbs. I learned a lot about working wood from Uncle Jack. He called me the night before he passed to tell me every thing was OK.
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Post by LTB on Apr 19, 2022 1:49:30 GMT -5
I started reading this story out of boredom, curiousity and nothing better to do. As a result I wasn't expecting much. Iwas so wrong. I want and need to thank you as I could not stop reading it. That guitar made out of "The Wood" was beautiful in looks and sound and was mesmerizing.
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Post by Ragtop on Apr 23, 2022 6:49:27 GMT -5
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Apr 23, 2022 11:46:17 GMT -5
Beautiful looking guitar, and while $10k is certainly out of my reach surprising that it isn't more.
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Vman
Wholenote
Posts: 194
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Post by Vman on Apr 23, 2022 13:50:04 GMT -5
There's a few utube guitar videos of the tree. Also Google "Mark Hatcher The Tree". He's built a few from it.
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