Official Luthiers Forum!

Like all my OLF siblings, I share a passion (dare I say "lust") for all the beautiful back and side woods that are out there.

We all know, though, that there is not a direct correlation between a wood's beauty and it's potential sound. And we know that some of the most beautiful wood can be some of the most difficult/frustrating to work with.

With those things considered, I'm wondering what you feel to be the "Best Bang for the Buck" tonewood.

I would definitely put sapele on the list. Very inexpensive, relatively speaking, but can make a fine sounding (and looking) guitar.

Indian Rosewood, while we can still get it.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

If you're talking really affordable I have to agree with Sapele. If you're talking kinda affordable I'd say Black Walnut, Osage Orange, and Wenge. (all can be had for less than a good set of Indian Rosewood)

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

Sapele and Wenge are my less expensive favorites. I recently bought a couple of sets of Tzalam (sp?) from Hibdon. Haven't built with it yet but it seems promising.

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

Cocobolo. Love that stuff, although that's really the only wood i've build with besides koa, but it can get a little priceyer for the figured stuff. Said to compare to BRW pretty well

Macacauba, AKA maca wood, coyote, or curatinga rosewood.
I also see it being marketed as "Amazon rosewood", particularly by the flooring industry.
Though not commonly available in guitar sets in the US, it has been used extensively in South America.
It is a close cousin to hormigo, a wood that Collings has been experimenting with.
Very reasonably priced for an imported wood.
The tap tone is as good as any rosewood. I would liken it to a cross between Honduran and Guatemalan RW, (or between Honduran and Brazilian).

http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/macacauba.htm

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John

Here's a shot of a set of Tsalam I got from Hibdon at the GAL show. Looks quite a bit like koa if you ask me. I think I'll be using this next. Will give a full report.

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Mountain Song Guitars www.mountainsongguitars.com

Padauk.

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

Padauk.

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

Thats easy!!!! Moo llennium Crunch!!!!!!!!!!!!

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MK5acoustics.com

Light red meranti (in this case salvaged from the shelving of an old kitchen cabinet), four piece. Nuthin' wrong with this guitar...it's the design that counts.


Bang, heaps; bucks, zero.

Bang/Buck = Infinite. (with acknowledgements to Filippo)

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

I haven't finished the guitar yet but zebrawood is really cool looking and from what I hear its suppose to sound like EIR

and we wouldn´t want any of those shady endeavours on teh internetz, would we?

anyway, adding to the stirring tonewood plat-du-jour for the impoverished amateur builder : jatoba (Hymenaea courbaril), Yellow/Nootka cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis - kind of an alternative for cypress) and palo escrito (Dalbergia palescrito) are some sensible offers that could be checked out. As said, Padauk and sapele are really nice woods.

cheers,
miguel.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

Cherry. Looks great. Sounds great. And I like the way it goes with mahogany necks - colour wise.

Neil

plus 1 for trev Looks like the meranti I salvaged from motorcycle crates in vancouver in 79 to make a tool box for shop class. Now it will be recycled into gtr necks . My fave is sycamore, wild colours , cheap 1/4 sawn ,readily avaiable, many widths and sizes, makes a nice sounding gtr for the frugal luthier

+1 on the walnut and cherry.

+1!

There's nothing I like better than stumbling on some salvaged tonewood.

WALNUT!! Great for B/S and Top!!

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ELEVATE || Next Level Lutherie
http://elevatelutherie.com
&
http://ensorguitars.com

Wenge, Walnut, Padouk, Zebrano, but all of them are getting more and more expensive, and the nice and perfect grades are more and more difficult to get; and never forget maple...

I haven't actually used them yet, but the sapele and padauk sets I have seem very promising.

Speaking about freewood, or rather, poachwood , I can't believe I am running past this tree almost daily for years now and I didn't notice what it really is. Can you guess what is it?

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Build log

Finally, somebody mentioned maple.
African mahog, walnut, and perhaps lyptus?
I have a piece I might use.
Plain and boring,
just like me.
I also have some qs Anigre that I'm going to try out.
All of these woods can be picked up as planks at your local hardwood vendors for about $5- $6 a b.f.

Osage?
I used salvaged wood for several years when I started building. Pallet boards, shelving boards, old furniture, old pianos, boats, etc.
Salvaged woods I have used include:
Curly Hickory (pallet board)
White spruce (piano soundboard)
Engelmann spruce (shelving board)
Elm (piano)
Ash (pallet)
Cherry (pallet)
Pecan (pallet)
Ambrosia maple (pallet)
Walnut (pallet)
Ponderosa pine (shelving board)
White Fir (shelving board)
Mahogany (piano and boat)
Persimmon (pallet)

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John

And we have a lucky winner. If I ever steal that tree you will get 5 bridge plates and 3 of those freaky green-brain-apples

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Build log

Peruvian Walnut or Sapele for me.