This is done mostly on acoustics, but some electrics have book matched. Bookmatching is the practice of matching two or more wood or stone surfaces, so that two adjoining surfaces mirror each other, giving the impression of an opened book as applied to wood, bookmatching is usually done with veneer produced in one of several ways, but can also be done with solid wood. The log has fine, consistent grain running its entire length, and a purple color on one side, fading to reddish golden brown on the other. Lumber domestic lumber quilted maple global wood source. I along with a few other luthiers i know, purchased the same grade of tops and all recieved vastly different boards. Cnc machines are used to help make the necks and some of the asher guitar bodies.
When you look at that top, there is grain running slightly out of the face of both halves, but at different angles, so it catches the light differently. We are specialist and can cut to size since for certain individual orders. Can you explain why half the top appears to be a lighter shade of wood. Apr 23, 2014 this is why youll see a lot of beginner guitars advertised as solidtop. Quilted, flame, fiddleback and curly maple guitar tops. Fine tight straight grain and figured douglas fir make amazing guitars. Solid wood top or laminate wood top guitar for beginners. The right choice of guitar wood will effect the tonal qualities, amplitude, weight, stability, playability and appearance of your next guitar. As to one piece tops being unusual, it should be obvious. Ive been creating guitar tops from a monstrous, 14footlong sinker redwood log i came across while visiting a local sawmill in december of 2000. Shop all northwest timber figured lumber, wood, and domestic exotic hardwoods for furniture and musical instruments. But as you carve into the wood to get the curvature of a carved top guitar the grain may not always run straight the whole way through giving some bookmatched guitars an off look. This is where the magic happens, together were going to build your perfect guitar. But it wont sound as good as a pure solid wood guitar.
Hawaiian master grade premium quartersawn curly koa bookmatched aaaa tonewood guitar sets curly koa ukulele bookmatched sets curly hawaiian mango instrument sets highly figured fiddleback big island koa luthiers guitar builder artisan woodworker guitar bookmatched tops backs sides sets air dried. Tonewood species1103 private stock14 occasions15 spruce tonewood2 tonewood for acoustic instruments21. Dec 21, 2011 now cut a sister piece, the book matched second piece of your top, and open it up like a book and glue the two together. This gives the impression of an opened book, hence the term bookmatched. These pages will detail the steps that i go through to build the top from raw wood to finished top ready to glue to the ribs. Birdseyemaplewood can also provide acoustic guitar back and sides sets as well as book matched electric guitar tops. Book matched guitar wood refers to finding matching pieces of lookalike wood for the soundboard, and back of the guitar. This is done mostly on acoustics, but some electrics have book matched wood, especially those with figured grain and natural finishes. Making the top part 1 most guitar builders are clear that the top is the heart and soul of the guitar. To create a bookmatched top, we take a slab of figured hardwood and resaw it down the middle so that it opens like a book.
This is accomplished by first sawing a plank lengthwise. This is the first wood for guitar making online and i want to thank you for the prompt service. The tonal qualities of old growth douglas fir are astonishing. So the pattern of the wood grain that one starts with isnt going to be exactly the identical wood grain once the wood is removed during carving.
Wood slab countertops and tables are more costly to make. Ipe wood is often clustered with other woods that share similar characteristics. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at. Flame maple wood for guitar or bass top, mm, bookmatched. Tonetech ltd provides luthier supplies, luthier tools, guitar paint and nitrocellulose lacquers across the uk and europe. This is the first time i have ordered wood for guitarmaking online and i want to thank you for the prompt service. Pick up some paint chips from a hardware store, and try to get a match to your existing wood furniture. Flame figure tops welcome to bow river wood to works. Acoustic guitar book report news about the latest instruction books, cds, and dvds. Bookmatched guitar wood refers to finding matching pieces of lookalike wood for the soundboard, and back of the guitar. Some of the finest tonewood comes from the us pacific nw and our guitar wood is handselected to be highly resonant, beautifully colored and figured to look and sound its best.
Where lowerend builds tend to require less refined and, at times, questionably sourced wood variations, todays boutique flat top guitar builders rely exclusively on the most resonant cuts of solid wood. Hawaiian master grade premium quartersawn curly koa book matched aaaa tone wood guitar sets curly koa ukulele book matched sets curly hawaiian mango instrument sets highly figured fiddleback big island koa luthiers guitar builder artisan woodworker guitar book matched tops backs sides sets air dried. The book matched tops are no different sounding than solid tops, all les pauls are book matched maple or koa on the really nice ones. Make offer ambrosia spalted maple instrument wood 9014 luthier book matched guitar top claro walnut figure wood 9576 luthier solid body guitar top set 22x 14. A highly figured electric guitar top whether quilted maple or flame maple is the showcase of your guitar. Ipe wood or bois ipe if you are french typically grows in tropical southcentral america, in a wide variety of sites, in marshes and riverbanks as well as ridge tops. A painted bookshelf can never be painted to match wood but can be painted to match values. Aug 30, 2008 pick up some paint chips from a hardware store, and try to get a match to your existing wood furniture. Red cedar and port orford cedar trees that have been killed by fires have yielded many highgrade guitar tops.
The movement of the wood repeats a mirror image like butterfly wings. Sep 02, 2015 this video shows how i use a 14 inch band saw to resaw a flamed maple board for a guitar top. Made made and custom bookmatched guitar parts for todays luthiers,jewelry box, music box,thin lumber. The resulting halves are opened like a book and glued in the center. We have some of the most beautiful and rare birdseye maple and curly hard maple in the industry. Binding or purfling is then added to routed channels then glued and clamped into place. A much overlooked tonewood, bubinga is an up and coming wood that has beautiful color and the possibility of prized figure. Bookmatching wood slabs is the practice of matching two or more wood slabs, so that two adjoining surfaces mirror each other. This is why youll see a lot of beginner guitars advertised as solidtop. This is the price that is paid for a solid wood top. Hobby wood, exotic woods, curly woods, display cases.
Go through the options on the right pick out the ones you want to have in your guitar. Bookmatched guitar tonewood top sets, curly maple, quilted maple, koa curly maple bookmatched tops. The unique acoustic properties of top woods help color a body shapes fundamental sound. Jun 06, 2010 like all wood, sitka spruce has natural variations in color and grain. In addition to online sales our trade counter is located in stockport, cheshire and is open to the public and trade customers. Guitar top wood a highly figured electric guitar top whether quilted maple or flame maple is the showcase of your guitar. Sep 21, 2011 in this particular case we did what is called a book match. Its natural in any wood species that has any visible figuring.
Everything is in great shape, i normally get my wood locally and prepdimension it myself. The key is to find the wood that matches up best with your playing style, like the warmth of a cedar top for fingerpicking and the feeling of responsiveness in your hands. However, the preferable method is to strip the bookcase, and then stain it to match your furniture. Flame maple wood blank for top of bass or guitar body, 18. Bay laurel driftwood logs salvaged from oregon beaches have been milled to make stunning backs and sides, as have claro walnut trees removed in. A book match is where you take a piece of wood and cut it in half and you open it like a book. Guitar tops 8 14 x 2223 x 316 size is approximate book matched typical d size a note about grades. The first step is to join the two book matched pieces which will become the top. Prs acoustics woods selection and bookmatching youtube. Dr there is no difference in the sound, only the looks. This gives two pieces that are mirror images of each otherand theoretically the same color. Product name az product name za price ascending price. This is the link i mentioned in the video for the bearing guide. Like all wood, sitka spruce has natural variations in color and grain.
You can have a billet of maple that after being flatsawn is perfectly bookmatched. Jan 24, 2017 a major difference between laminate and solid wood guitars involves how the tonewood is sourced and processed. Bookmatched guitar tops and guitar parts twisted tree furniture. This yields a symmetrical pattern along the body centerline.
Response, projection, sustain and harmonic complexity are all notably superior. One was a excellently quatersawn and book matched board with very tight grain throughout and even had some light bear claw figure, a very good deal for the price. This is the first wood for guitarmaking online and i want to thank you for the prompt service. Guitar tops of flamed or figured woods of certain thicknesses are book matched together, then glued to the body. Youre going to pay a heck of a lot more for an entirely solidwood guitar than just a solid top. This is the first time i have ordered wood for guitar making online and i want to thank you for the prompt service. Quilted maple top wood looks like blisters pillows even sausages. Bookmatched guitar tonewood top sets, curly maple, quilted. If your building a guitar solid bodies are easier to finish, but figured tops are more attractive. I normally get my wood locally and prepdimension it myself. Logs to lumber kiln dried hardwood lumber domestic and exotic lumber live edge slabs table tops see a cool headboard using bookmatched crotch walnut see a project using bookmatched crotch walnut another project using bookmatched crotch walnut see a project using red elmwalnut slabs.
Slimer series hybrid multi colored stabilized box elder burl bookmatched set. Ipe trees may grow to 140 feet in height with trunk diameter of up to 6. Everything is in great shape, and the boards are just as id hoped. We offer bubinga in special pomelle, figured, and standard. Most guitars with solid sitka tops are made with two book matched pieces.
I have a new 814ce i ordered with a shortscale neck and engelmann spruce top. Douglas fir guitar wood an ideal wood for acoustic guitar soundboards, backs and sides and bracing wood. African rosewood or bubinga, though not a true rosewood is denser than several rosewoods. What this means is that they have a solidwood top even though the rest of the guitar is manufactured using laminate wood. Maple burl wood 10922 luither natural f hole book matched guitar top set. Please call 408 3920573 or email us for availability and any specific needs we will pull and hand select for your requirements or place an order for you. Dont confuse bookmatched wood with laminate nonsolid construction. We use a variety of woods, including swamp ash, mahogany, and soft maple and. A major difference between laminate and solid wood guitars involves how the tonewood is sourced and processed. Its harder to find a single piece of wood thats as wide as a guitar with a nice pattern. This video shows how i use a 14 inch band saw to resaw a flamed maple board for a guitar top. In this particular case we did what is called a book match. Imagine standing in a forest of spruce in southeast alaska, the rain water dripping down from the forest canopy into the soft moss on the ground.
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