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I am getting ready to purchase the supplies to build my first guitar and would like to see your opinions on a top wood. Back and sides will be EIR. This one will be for me, and I mostly strum rhythm with some flat-picking tossed in now and again. I think I will be building from a J-45 plan. I have a Tacoma traditional sound-hole thin body small jumbo that has a Sitka top on it and I like the way it sounds. I know Sitka and EIR is a good option, and one that is very common for a first build, but I wouldn't mind stepping out a bit. I have never had the pleasure of playing a guitar with an Adi top, or say Port Orford. Do many of you feel that those woods might have a better tone than Sitka? "Better" is probably not the right word, but you get the point. Not having been able to hear the differences for myself, I'll take any advice you'll give. I realize how subjective this question is, but that seems to be the name of the game. Thanks for any input. This site is great by the way.

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Aaron Craig

Aaron: Since this is your first guitar,I would suggest that this is going to be a woodworking exercise especially if you have little experience in working with wood. Given that I would again suggest you use good quality materials but on the inexpensive side. Sitka would be my choice for the top and maybe Mahogany for the sides and back.Less expensive material takes away some of the tension if you run into problems but at the same time lets you learn the process but still make a real good guitar.If you get hooked by the disease and most do, you can buy more expensive material after you have a few guitars under your belt. Good luck in the adventure.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I'm using mahogany and sitka for my first one. Mahogany neck, pau ferro fingerboard/bridge, curly maple bindings (I'd recommend not curly, as they break extremely easily when bending).

I think EIR would be fine instead of mahogany for the back/sides. I hear it bends quite easily, and mahogany has an annoying alternating grain orientation that likes to tear if you plane too aggressively, so it's not super easy to work with either.

What about a Lutz spruce top from Shane and High Mountain Tonewoods? I hear it's great stuff.
Sitka would of course be a fine choice as well. It's cheap, sounds good, is not endangered, and isn't too incredibly delicate. I think Port Orford is even tougher, but is more expensive and less plentiful. I've never actually played one either, but I have a couple sets for future builds, and it would probably sound good on a J-45. Smells good too
Adirondack is similar price to Port Orford, and would be great too. It's the classic for J-45, so there's one point for it. RC Tonewoods had some sets on clearance, but it looks like they're all snapped up now. Colonial still has a few for $60 though, and has good deals on linings and headblocks and other things to combine shipping on.

My favorite guitar I've ever played is my Goodall EIR/sitka, so that's definitlely a good combo.

Honestly, don't worry about it. I'm just about to finish my first, and the tonewoods are going to have very little to do with the sound. Use something not too expensive, do the best you can with it, take that learning, and apply it to the next one. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Not to be negative at all, I'm thrilled with how mine is ending up, but with your first, the quality of the build is going to have a much greater impact on the finished product than whatever woods you use.

Good luck, it's way too much fun

Steve

The EIR I've bent did so much easier than the African mahogany I bent. I see no reason for you not to use EIR. Allied has student sets of EIR that will be gentle on your wallet and shouldn't fight you when you bend them.

Now to be fair, after I broke the practice mahogany side, I had a better understanding of the wood and the sides bent easy enough not to really complain about them.

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Aoibeann

Dennis...my advice is to use the cheapest EIR and Sitka you can find and eliminate the fear of ruining good wood. In fact, learning to repair mistakes is an important part of the process. I can almost guarantee that even with the cheapest wood, your tonal results will exceed yours and most others' expectations. Good luck and have fun!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Thanks for all the replies. I'll probably just go with a decent set of Sitka to keep cost and fear of breakage low.

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Aaron Craig

Nothing wrong with Sitka. It makes a great guitar.

Coming from the viewpoint of a player, I love Sitka. I know the big thing in flatpicking/Bluegrass circles is Adi, and a lot of the fingerstylists like the Cedars, and it's trendy to use different woods that are or seem more exotic, but honestly, Sitka always gives me everything I want in a top wood.
The Adi has wide lines in the top, and sometimes uneven. Sitka on the other hand, you can get really fine line, even and consistent looking tops for a fair price. The cedars are soft, and don't hold up to rough handling by the builder or the player. Sitka doesn't have this problem, either. It looks great, sounds great, and it's durable. What's not to like?
Even if I had cash running out my ears, I'd probably still choose sitka.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.