Tasmanian Myrtle

[Adieu]

Re: Tasmanian Myrtle

Why just the top though, then? Why don't we see these in elecrics?

And wouldn't hard maple still be stiffer?

Also, why isn't the same wood used for the back good for the top?

[Peter Crossley]

Re: Tasmanian Myrtle

Why just the top though, then? Why don't we see these in elecrics?

And wouldn't hard maple still be stiffer?

Also, why isn't the same wood used for the back good for the top?

to be honest, it doesn't matter too much on an electric... but don't open that can of worms.

with an acoustic the different types of wood between the back and the top, open the range of tone available to the instrument as a whole..

I try to get 4 semitones of difference between the top and the back, with the back being the higher in register..

this gives acoustics their lovely warm and rich sound.. properly built ones that is.. mass produced is another matter..

so thats why different timbers, if the top is the same as the back, then the tonal difference is negligible, only changed by the bracing structure, so you would have a "thinner" tone band to work with...


Hope that helps....

[AlexR]

Re: Tasmanian Myrtle

Why just the top though, then? Why don't we see these in elecrics?

And wouldn't hard maple still be stiffer?

Also, why isn't the same wood used for the back good for the top?

Acoustics really straddle the divide between projection (from flexibility) and the strength required to tune to tension (from bulk) hence the bracing for the tops. The conifers really seem to have the best qualities for this, with tight even grain that makes for the best results without lamination - something that was not possible back in the day.
Now with archtops and semihollows that were made much more recently you do see lamination, but you are not going for ultimate projection.

As said, it matters way less in an electric - as the slabs are 1 3/4" so any stiff wood of a similar density will sound ballpark the same. I do have an electric or two made from spruce and cedar, so they are about as wood blanks if not finished guitars.