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Bears Paw?   You are logged in as Guest
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Zorro02

Posts: 151
Joined: Feb. 23 2007
 

Bears Paw? 
I have been told that my spruce top has "bear paw" marks in the grain. Is this a good or bad thing?

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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 27 2007 21:07:36

JBASHORUN

Posts: 1839
Joined: Jan. 23 2005
 

RE: Bears Paw? (in reply to Zorro02) 
We call them "Bear's CLAWS" where I'm from. They are just variations in the wood: small areas of irregular grain. they aren't really good OR bad, IMO. Unless you don't like the look of them, in which case they are bad. But sometimes they can make the wood harder to work than wood with a uniform grain.

Jb

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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 27 2007 21:30:50

JBASHORUN

Posts: 1839
Joined: Jan. 23 2005
 

RE: Bears Paw? (in reply to Zorro02) 
here's a picture of a guitar soundboard with Bear Clawing. But BEAR in mind (pun intended!) that its not always this severe and noticeable.

Jb



Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px

Attachment (1)

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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 27 2007 21:37:20
 
Zorro02

Posts: 151
Joined: Feb. 23 2007
 

RE: Bears Paw? (in reply to JBASHORUN) 
Hi JB, see what you mean. Mine is not so extreme, 2 or 3marks above and below the sound hole. I have been told that these marks are desirable and that in some way add to the character of the guitar, therefore increasing the guitars value??

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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 27 2007 21:55:27

JBASHORUN

Posts: 1839
Joined: Jan. 23 2005
 

RE: Bears Paw? (in reply to Zorro02) 
quote:

I have been told that these marks are desirable and that in some way add to the character of the guitar, therefore increasing the guitars value??


LOL, well you COULD look at it like that, I guess. its a bit like "flamed maple" and other figuring... some people say they add character and value and others dislike them- its personal preference. But I don't think they will affect the tone very much (if anything), and you probably won't even notice them after a while...

Jb

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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 27 2007 22:06:44
 
hhmusic

 

Posts: 164
Joined: May 13 2006
 

RE: Bears Paw? (in reply to Zorro02) 
i'm no luthier, but several of the luthiers i've spoken to say that bear claw can be an indication of stiffness across the grain, so that bear claw tops can be stiffer than regular straight grain tops. stiffness without weight is the holy grail of guitar tops, so theoretically a top that has bear claw may be stiffer than those without. for this reason, bear claw spruce is often considered desirable for a guitar top.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date May 1 2007 0:52:36
 
Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006
 

RE: Bears Paw? (in reply to Zorro02) 
Most builders consider bearclaw to be purely esthetical.

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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date May 2 2007 17:51:58
 
hhmusic

 

Posts: 164
Joined: May 13 2006
 

RE: Bears Paw? (in reply to Zorro02) 
yes, most think bear claw makes no difference, and in fact, most traditionalists really don't like the way it looks. but, some will swear it's stiffer and sounds different (at least, i know two experienced luthiers who do...)
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date May 4 2007 11:45:03
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