Rarely used instrument woods

[Rodent]

I've used American Cherry on several bass top/back sets including this lefty from 2007/2008 timeframe

it will burn if you're not careful with your router technique, but then so does Maple and other woods. I haven't found it to be any more difficult to work than other woods more commonly used for bass bodies

I recently acquired a super figured 8/4 x 9"+ x 84" plank that will be used for tops/backs, two of which will be used in a new build I'll be starting late in Sept

all the best,

R

 

[vbasscustom]

nice

 

[mikeyswood]

DROOL!

 

[odin70]

cherry is 3-4 times more expensive than alder..So of course companies choose alder for mass production instruments. And because of that alder is the tradition (among some other woods) Anyways, imo you would not hear the difference.

 

[bassist4dalord]

How about pine? Imagine: having a bass that smells like pine ALL THE TIME! That's heaven.

 

[erikbojerik]

Most of the woods You mentioned tend to be in the "small" scale as the logs go AFAIK.

Definitely not true of oaks - they are about the 2nd largest tree in N. America and I see wide oak all the time.

You can get some impressive curly figure in red oak that would work quite nicely as a thin drop top - but it has caverous pores.

 

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Definitely not true of oaks - they are about the 2nd largest tree in N. America and I see wide oak all the time.

You can get some impressive curly figure in red oak that would work quite nicely as a thin drop top - but it has caverous pores.

Well, there's life and luthiery across the pond also .

The oak we have over here, and I believe that's true for most of the environments for oak, is not suitable for instrument making if the yearly growing conditions have changed much during the life of the tree. And that was the case in the 1900.

So the best stock is from trees that have had relatively static growing conditions and/or are cut in a way that the growth is linear. That is obviously assuming that the trunk was straight in the first place, which is not true for most of the oak trees here in the Scandinavia and definitely not true in UK.

For a top it doesn't matter, in fact it may be even more desirable, but for a complete build that can pose a problem.

Speaking of oaks, as everyone of You might not know this. In the ifant stages of the EU, the continental European "experts" decided that the ancient oak trees in England weren't straight enough to pass the EU standard for oak (or trees in general, I don't remember which).
In order to rectify this "major issue", they tried to pass a motion and a law that would've required chopping down all the crooked hundreds of years old oaks, and replacing them with straight trunk oaks from across the channel.
Needless to say their motion didn't fly too well with the Brits .

Regards
Sam

 

[automan]

The EU even has laws on how straight your tree trunks have to be :***:

... and I thought it was bad here in Massachusetts. I'm so happy to be moving back to Tennessee tomorrow!.

 

[T-Bird]

Hi.

The EU even has laws on how straight your tree trunks have to be :***:

Yep.

The list is endless, from the shape and size of carrots, through the size and colour of strawberries, to the curvature of cucumbers.

It's crazy, but hey, they HAVE TO do something in Brussels, right? RIGHT?

Regards
Sam

 

[erikbojerik]

The OP is from Connecticuit, where they have real oaks.

 

[stevetx19]

The op mentioned chestnut, among other woods...I don't use it because i can't find it anywhere. Believe me, if i could, and could afford it, i would....

i'll just leave these here for backup

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[DerHoggz]

Mentioned a lot, but Brian May built a guitar of blockboard, oak, and knotty mahogany. Not the most common of materials, but a very well known instrument.