Oak as a tone wood.
- Thread starter Demanic
- Start date
daan
New member
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
http://www.guitarnation.com/articles/calkin.htm
"Oak. Oak is coarse and its large pores are hard to fill, but its availability in home improvement stores makes it widely available. Quartered oak is common at lumberyards. The only thing wrong with oak instruments is that they look so much like furniture. Quartered stock displays an irregular pattern of medullary rays that add interest to the ring lines, though filling the pores with dark material draws the eye away from the rays. Oak loves to bend and is seldom cantankerous in this regard. the hardness of the wood varies across the same board, so machine sanding alone will leave the surface wavy. The trick is to machine sand and then block sand with each grit. White oak seems to have a slightly finer texture than red oak, otherwise, I don't distinguish between the two. This wood is so far outside of musicians' expectations that oak instruments always take them by surprise, especially if they hear them before seeing them. In areas where oak is commonly burned for heat, it may be held in low regard for any other use. Be brave, though. Oak is fun to work with."
http://www.guitarnation.com/articles/calkin.htm
"Oak. Oak is coarse and its large pores are hard to fill, but its availability in home improvement stores makes it widely available. Quartered oak is common at lumberyards. The only thing wrong with oak instruments is that they look so much like furniture. Quartered stock displays an irregular pattern of medullary rays that add interest to the ring lines, though filling the pores with dark material draws the eye away from the rays. Oak loves to bend and is seldom cantankerous in this regard. the hardness of the wood varies across the same board, so machine sanding alone will leave the surface wavy. The trick is to machine sand and then block sand with each grit. White oak seems to have a slightly finer texture than red oak, otherwise, I don't distinguish between the two. This wood is so far outside of musicians' expectations that oak instruments always take them by surprise, especially if they hear them before seeing them. In areas where oak is commonly burned for heat, it may be held in low regard for any other use. Be brave, though. Oak is fun to work with."
ericmeyer4
New member
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
The original red special used oak for the center block and fingerboard.
The original red special used oak for the center block and fingerboard.
Myaccount876
Amira-Maker
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
I built an oak guitar. It sounds awesome, but I can't really pinpoint any sound properties of the wood - because it's the only oak guitar I've ever played. It is totally worth trying though.
I built an oak guitar. It sounds awesome, but I can't really pinpoint any sound properties of the wood - because it's the only oak guitar I've ever played. It is totally worth trying though.
jacksontrader
New member
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
I have a chunk of black walnut that's going to made into a body, hope it sounds good.
I have a chunk of black walnut that's going to made into a body, hope it sounds good.
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
haha thats totally on topic and very helpful man.
I have some rose alder and hoop pine i want to make into guitar, Hope they sound good.
Is amira oak?
haha thats totally on topic and very helpful man.
I have some rose alder and hoop pine i want to make into guitar, Hope they sound good.
Is amira oak?
Myaccount876
Amira-Maker
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
Yep! Amira is indeed oak.
Yep! Amira is indeed oak.
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
MetalManiac
Li'l Junior Member
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
I wouldn't be adverse to finding some 400 year old Barnwood oak, but as far as new oak, it'd be heavy, very bright, not well tonally balanced and not very harmonically rich sounding . best for high gain with modern amps, and Much better for bass. i have a nice Warmoth Black Walnut body, that probably sounds pretty much like Oak and Northern ( not silver leaf) Maple - maybe a bit more well behaved as far as brightness and overall tone, and I like it, so I'm not really knocking Oak. The Warmoth Walnut ain't the best sounding guitar though, although it was pretty pricey. Some of the old Walnut Gibsons made with premium old growth black Walnut are stupid good guitars for the money, and sound similar to good Mahogany.
I wouldn't be adverse to finding some 400 year old Barnwood oak, but as far as new oak, it'd be heavy, very bright, not well tonally balanced and not very harmonically rich sounding . best for high gain with modern amps, and Much better for bass. i have a nice Warmoth Black Walnut body, that probably sounds pretty much like Oak and Northern ( not silver leaf) Maple - maybe a bit more well behaved as far as brightness and overall tone, and I like it, so I'm not really knocking Oak. The Warmoth Walnut ain't the best sounding guitar though, although it was pretty pricey. Some of the old Walnut Gibsons made with premium old growth black Walnut are stupid good guitars for the money, and sound similar to good Mahogany.
Last edited:
Myaccount876
Amira-Maker
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
Too busy. But I'm working on building an oak neck/fingerboard.
Too busy. But I'm working on building an oak neck/fingerboard.
ExplorersRock
X-Files Duckbucker
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
Is your oak axe your black Tele-shape with the single HB?
Is your oak axe your black Tele-shape with the single HB?
Boogie Bill
New member
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
Bob Taylor made a series of acoustics called the "Pallet Guitars", with the backs and sides of scrap oaken pallet wood. By all accounts they sounded pretty good.
Bill
Bob Taylor made a series of acoustics called the "Pallet Guitars", with the backs and sides of scrap oaken pallet wood. By all accounts they sounded pretty good.
Bill
MetalManiac
Li'l Junior Member
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
C'mon Boogie Bill..step up your game , man. Its one thing to make a Tele out of Oak, and quite another to make a high end acoustic form Oak Pallet wood.
Would you expect a Taylor Pallet guitar to sound and respond(more important is the response) as a, say Premium Rosewood Gibson Songwriter? A Martin Rosewood D-28?
It couldn't.
C'mon Boogie Bill..step up your game , man. Its one thing to make a Tele out of Oak, and quite another to make a high end acoustic form Oak Pallet wood.
Would you expect a Taylor Pallet guitar to sound and respond(more important is the response) as a, say Premium Rosewood Gibson Songwriter? A Martin Rosewood D-28?
It couldn't.
Myaccount876
Amira-Maker
jon the art guy
Nerdy Nerd
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
Red oak, poplar and some other stuff is in piles at home depot and Lowes. You can get 2in staves and build a neck thru, then get some nicer wood for the wings. I'd like to do madrone or redwood.
off u see did MRSAge, I m on tapa talk and auto correct is hating on me
Red oak, poplar and some other stuff is in piles at home depot and Lowes. You can get 2in staves and build a neck thru, then get some nicer wood for the wings. I'd like to do madrone or redwood.
off u see did MRSAge, I m on tapa talk and auto correct is hating on me
MetalManiac
Li'l Junior Member
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
Thats not premium guitar grade wood though..I think thats what you don't realize about wood. It has grades..thats why Fender and Gibson guitars cost so much for their high end models, because they source the worlds best tonewood, not cheap furniture grade wood form Lowes.
If you want to build a palletwood guitar, then by all means, do so. Just be sure to know what you are putting your effort into, cause I'm not sure you do.You arent going to make a premium tone tapped high end premium wood guitar from furniture grade Lowes lumber. For high gain..who cares ( well, me), for classic tone, then yes, you'll be not only off the mark, but WAY off the mark.
Thats not premium guitar grade wood though..I think thats what you don't realize about wood. It has grades..thats why Fender and Gibson guitars cost so much for their high end models, because they source the worlds best tonewood, not cheap furniture grade wood form Lowes.
If you want to build a palletwood guitar, then by all means, do so. Just be sure to know what you are putting your effort into, cause I'm not sure you do.You arent going to make a premium tone tapped high end premium wood guitar from furniture grade Lowes lumber. For high gain..who cares ( well, me), for classic tone, then yes, you'll be not only off the mark, but WAY off the mark.
Last edited:
Boogie Bill
New member
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
Well...lol...I can say without a doubt I would choose the pallet guitar over the Gibson. I love their LPs and ES and SG models, their electrics...but the acoustics Gibson makes are a waste of wood, IMO. I am definitely a Martin guy, and I have NEVER, in 45+ years of guitaring played a Gibson that made me go "Wow!" Not J200s, Doves, Hbirds, SJs, 45s...nada. Not a one that I would spend my money on. My old Harmony sounded better than the Gibson acoustics some of my friends had back in college. The Songwriter is a nice guitar, but I'd much rather have D-28. Not trying to start a flame war...I just don't like Gibson acoustics.
And actually, the Pallet Guitar shouldn't be that surprising. Taylor has often used what once were considered "odd" tonewoods, with the theory that if you use a great piece for the top and brace it correctly, you can build a pretty good guitar. Taylor builds very consistently, and whether you choose a mahogany, rosewood, ovangkol, walnut, koa, etc., you're going to get a decent guitar.
I do own a Taylor 710ce, along with nine Martin dreads and a couple of Takamine 12-string dreads. No Gibson acoustics.
And the Pallet Guitars almost NEVER come up for sale: for whatever reason, the owners hang on to them.
I think that the reason we don't see more oak guitars it that, from my understanding, it is hard to work with from a manufacturing POV.
Bill
Well...lol...I can say without a doubt I would choose the pallet guitar over the Gibson. I love their LPs and ES and SG models, their electrics...but the acoustics Gibson makes are a waste of wood, IMO. I am definitely a Martin guy, and I have NEVER, in 45+ years of guitaring played a Gibson that made me go "Wow!" Not J200s, Doves, Hbirds, SJs, 45s...nada. Not a one that I would spend my money on. My old Harmony sounded better than the Gibson acoustics some of my friends had back in college. The Songwriter is a nice guitar, but I'd much rather have D-28. Not trying to start a flame war...I just don't like Gibson acoustics.
And actually, the Pallet Guitar shouldn't be that surprising. Taylor has often used what once were considered "odd" tonewoods, with the theory that if you use a great piece for the top and brace it correctly, you can build a pretty good guitar. Taylor builds very consistently, and whether you choose a mahogany, rosewood, ovangkol, walnut, koa, etc., you're going to get a decent guitar.
I do own a Taylor 710ce, along with nine Martin dreads and a couple of Takamine 12-string dreads. No Gibson acoustics.
And the Pallet Guitars almost NEVER come up for sale: for whatever reason, the owners hang on to them.
I think that the reason we don't see more oak guitars it that, from my understanding, it is hard to work with from a manufacturing POV.
Bill
MetalManiac
Li'l Junior Member
Boogie Bill
New member
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
☺
☺
jon the art guy
Nerdy Nerd
Re: Oak as a tone wood.
Don't care about premium guitar wood, I care more about stability. Tonally speaking, in an electric the EQ can be tailored to fit the necessity. If the neck thru is stable and the grain is stable, straight and the it clangs relatively well. May be nice to make some arrow shafts too.
Don't care about premium guitar wood, I care more about stability. Tonally speaking, in an electric the EQ can be tailored to fit the necessity. If the neck thru is stable and the grain is stable, straight and the it clangs relatively well. May be nice to make some arrow shafts too.
