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You didn't mention what kind of wood it is. If it's cypress/spruce/Spanish cedar it doesn't take long for the wood to acclimate (maybe 2-3 weeks). Rosewood and ebony can take much longer.
Does Madinter state the wood is cured? All guitar woods should be cured (air dried) at least 3 years before use. If it's kiln dried it's firewood.
You didn't mention what kind of wood it is. If it's cypress/spruce/Spanish cedar it doesn't take long for the wood to acclimate (maybe 2-3 weeks). Rosewood and ebony can take much longer.
Back and sides: Sapele Soundboard: German Spruce Neck: Cedar
quote:
Does Madinter state the wood is cured? All guitar woods should be cured (air dried) at least 3 years before use. If it's kiln dried it's firewood.
Don't know. Their About Us page doesn't clearly say so. Is it possible they are selling firewood?
Madinter dry their wood very slowly in a kiln. This has become very popular, especially with beginners, because people think they do not have to wait before using the wood.
I can see that the water is extracted but how the process affects the resins I do not know. I personally would not use such wood for guitar construction, but I am no expert.
John is right. 3 years is the minimum. However sapele is quite forgiving and the top is most likely air dried. If it smell really resinous you have to leave it!! The neck however will really cause problems if it isnt dry enough. You can feel if it is fresh- will feel cold. We luthiers buy timber years in advance so we know for sure if it is aged.
Back and sides: Sapele Soundboard: German Spruce Neck: Cedar
Sapele is a naturally very stable wood as is Spanish Cedar. Those and the spruce will acclimate rapidly (2-3 weeks). Did you buy an ebony fingerboard?
As Sean said kiln drying is just that...DRYING not curing. They're not the same thing. The heat in Kiln drying relieves tensions in the wood and makes it more stable but it's no substitute for aging.
Some wood vendors state that the wood they sell is uncured and needs aging. In my opinion, if they do not clearly state that the wood is cured you should presume that it's not.
I'm sawing some Red Cedar billets right now that have been stored in the attic since 1981-2. That's well cured wood and you can tell when you stack the panels. They lie absolutely flat even though they were just sawn.
When I first started building I did my time trying to build with wood that wasn't cured long enough. Sometimes the guitar turned out ok other times it was a disaster. It was a gamble I was willing to take to keep building but cured wood would have made building a lot more pleasant and the quality more dependable.
Can a kiln dried wood make good wood if left alone for 3 years or is it already spoiled?
I agree with Sean on the kiln dried wood. I wouldn't use it but if you're going to use it probably the back and sides would have the least impact on the voice. If you're going to wait the 3 years anyway why waste time aging kiln dried wood? Even one year will make a huge difference in the stability especially in woods like cedar and sapele. Besides the cold feeling that Stephan points out you can check the cure of wood by simply setting it in the sun for a few minutes. If it's uncured or wet it will start to move right away.
It's kind of unfair. It takes years to finally build up a good stock of cured wood so when you first start building you're dependent on the good will and honesty of the wood vendors some of whom are less than trustworthy. Most luthiers won't part with their precious aged wood and if they do you'll pay top dollar.
East Indian is probably the safest fingerboard choice. You'll probably still be troubled with shrinkage if it's uncured but nowhere near as much as with ebony.
Wood from Madinter is not cured yet. You'll have to put it aside for a while. The wood from LMI is usually ready to build with now providing you let it acclimate for a couple of weeks in your shop.
If you have time to put wood away for a couple of years, Madinter is fine. There's also Maderas Barber. If you want wood to use now, try L.M.I. or Allied Lutherie.
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