Armando -> RE: How is a top quality (1F) wood different than 2F or 3F wood? (Jun. 12 2009 10:01:45)
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I have to use the internet to buy wood and its a hit and miss experience. Generally I want wood with a straight vertical grain, as closely quartered as possible and to get this you have to pay more, of course. Krichards I agree that Well quartered wood is very important. The term "quartersawn" allows deviation of up to 20% from the ideal cut which is called radial cut. I have made the experience that a relatively slight deviation of 5% already means a significant loss in stiffness in the soundboard. This was also confirmed by José Romanillos on his guitarmaking course. The owner of the swiss tonewood supplier mentioned above invited me to coffee and cake when i visited his sawmill. During the coffee break i was able to talk to him for a while an he told me that those tops with super thight and absolutely straight grain are most requested by american luthiers or tonewood suppliers. They request mayor quantities which exceeds the availlability by far. Therefore he has to limit the supply on mastergrade spruce for each order to a relatively small number. I can get only five mastergrade tops from him every year. I think that the very fine and straight grained spruce (so called mastergrade) became that expencive not mainly for it's tonal quality but rather for its demand. Maybe i'm wrong but i think that many luthiers just request what their customers ask for and many customers do not really have an idea about tonewood. I really don't want to offend anyone here but in my opinion laymans tend to simplify things. In the case of tonewood spruce the following conclusion is just not accurate: "The tighter and straighter the grane the better the soundboard" but that is what many guitarists believe and that's what they look for on a guitar. However i think that the luthier can often clarify things when talking to customers. Being somewhat invidious, i could say: "good for me", so i have to pay less for the tops that i choose [:-] quote:
If you dont belive in the strength of the moon, go to some places with a heavy tide. It can be 7 meters. Besides working with the moon cycles is something that has been done for thousands of years with succes. Its only recently, where we think that everything has to be analyzed using some kind of man made machine in order to be accepted, and that everything which has been done with succes for thousands of years is being treated as hollistic babble. Anders This is correct. Moonwood is not just a cheap marketing ploy and nothing else than smoke and mirrors. Allthough no extensive research has been done on moonwood, there is a recent study done by a swiss university. The conclusion of the study was as follows: The amalgam of the data material (with the aim of forming overall trends for the alpine regions of Switzerland) and the use of specific, statistic-based analysis allow for a determination of significant (statistically relevant)lunar oriented components in the variability of moisture loss, shrinkage and relative weight. It was determined that the division waxing (from new moon to full moon) and waning (from full moon to new moon) points to significant, across-the-board differences in shrinkage, but final results are still outstanding. The data analysis permits two precise, systematic, lunar orientated divisions that apply much more precisely to all three criteria. The variation spectrum was not, however, totally attributed to the position of the moon. The inclusion of the reference weight (taken before felling)of each individual tree, independent of time, shows that this factor plays a superordinate role, but confirms the significance of the lunar models tested. regards Armando
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