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How commonly is bearclaw figure seen in Engelmann spruce? I haven't seen much of it at all, and when I have seen it, it has always been more sparsely figured. I just picked up a few sets, all like the one pictured below (the photo really doesn't do it justice), and was very pleasantly surprised by how much bearclaw they have. Really nice stuff!! I was just wondering if this kind of figure is more common in Engelmann than I realized. Anyone have any experience? Thanks.

I've been buying wood for about 5 years now and have never seen it, until today. I just ordered 2 sets from LMI this afternoon! I'll be curious to see what people say about this one.

Mind if I ask where you found yours?

Laurie

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Would they be from islandgirlO_18 on ebay? She also sells from her web store http://www.bluesilktonewood.com/.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Laurie - let us know how the sets you get from LMI turn out.

Mine came from Bev Finch at Blue Silk Tonewood. I think she is on Vancouver Island. http://www.bluesilktonewood.com/home.aspx

I just got some equally nice bearclaw Sitka from her as well. She always seems to have nicely figured (and non-figured) spruce. I 'think' she processes all her wood herself from downed trees. Very nice quality and great prices.

Alex - yes, although I got my sets directly from Bev rather than through ebay.

Sure, I'll post pics when I get them from LMI in 7-10 days. I'm in Canada and never heard of Blue Silk. Looks like I would have saved a few dollars on each top (if they were 3A or lower) plus the exchange rate! Good to know for future purchases.

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Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

Charlie,

My tops arrived from LMI arrived today. They are creamy white with a nice "mirror image" of the bearclaw like I asked for. I'll try to get pics up by tomorrow so we can compare.

Laurie

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Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

Nice! Thanks for letting us know. I would like to see a photo if you can.

Photos below - 2 sets with 2 pics each. Its hard to take a picture of this stuff. They aren't high figure bearclaw, but a nice amount. What do you think?









Laurie

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Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

I think that will make a great looking guitar! What does the tap sound like?

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Alex, these must be the only tops I ever bought that I didn't tap - was in a hurry to get the pics and never thought about it. I'll report back in a few days, but they look pretty good for $65 each.

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Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

Those look very nice, Laurie. I'd be interested to know how stiff they seem to you.

Guys - I had every intention of thoroughly comparing them to the other tops, but just haven't had much time. I'm no expert, but at first handling they tap as well as any "3A" Eng I have in the pile.

I don't take deflection measurements, but the stiffness seems average in relation to my other tops. Less stiff than the Lutz from Shane, but better than a couple of local white spruce I have (a real disappointment), but they are quite reasonable.

Looking forward to getting my crappy drum sander back from warranty repairs to thickness a few to compare, especially the older Italian spruce I have.

Sorry, I can't be much more specific.....


Laurie

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Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.