How can choose the right top piece? (Full Version)

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Ahmed Flamenco -> How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 7 2015 22:36:30)

I'm somehow lucky now as I called two persons who sell spruce and cedar tops , and I'm going to see both.
Actually I know some tips like tight grain and bright sound with hitting,but I'd like to know if there are more tips.



jshelton5040 -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 8 2015 0:33:57)

forget tight grain, it's pretty much irrelevant.



Stephen Eden -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 8 2015 10:03:41)

Most if not all look for the best Stiffness to weight ratio. Forget how it looks.



Anders Eliasson -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 8 2015 16:07:42)

Bright sound is realtive. The thicker and heavyer, the brighter the taptone.
The only really good way is to have trained eyes and especially hands.

In general, cedar is much more consistent in quality than spruce.



Ahmed Flamenco -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 8 2015 23:52:54)

I've just come home I've seen spruce and cedar tops, they are really really good especially cedar it has the deep color of of cedar used by excellent guitar makers , they are not wide enough as they are for ouds but the man there told me that after 2 or 3 weeks he will have wider tops, so I have to wait some time[;)].



kominak -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 10 2015 21:40:38)

I may not understand your reply completely, but it seems to me that despite the fact that you were just advised by 3 luthiers to not judge the tops by appearance, you still think the cedar tops were good because of their color??



Ahmed Flamenco -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 10 2015 22:40:32)

quote:

I may not understand your reply completely, but it seems to me that despite the fact that you were just advised by 3 luthiers to not judge the tops by appearance, you still think the cedar tops were good because of their color??

kominak
are you a beginner in making guitars like me [:D]?
for the top
"Stiffness to weight ratio" makes it good as Stephen said,and it was very light.
and finally the color is impressive,so I think that this top is good.



kominak -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 11 2015 20:16:39)

quote:


kominak
are you a beginner in making guitars like me ?


Exactly :)

I just wanted to make sure you did get "stiffness to weight" right before choosing the top by color.
You are quite lucky to have tonewood supplier nearby so you can have first hand experience by comparing multiple tops at once. The rest of us have to mail order and depend on the supplier that he sends us what we described...



Ahmed Flamenco -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 11 2015 21:59:17)

I'm not also that lucky, in Egypt tone woods are very limited I can hardly find what I need and sometimes I have to wait, we don't have for example rosewood or cypress.[:D]
but also I try to do my best.[:D]



Ruphus -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 12 2015 11:10:34)

Are you expecting to gather practical experience with these questions?

There exist books and DVDs about guitar making. (One video of Ander´s method filmed by Simon even available on YT for free.)
Things like tapping a top blank are systematic procedures described in tutorials, whilst hardly anyone may take the time to describe it to you in detail on a forum thread.

And then there is the top shaping, once described as "undescribable" as it is "in the thumb".

If you intend to ask step by step throughout the making process, better do it all in one thread. So that luthiers´ efforts in answering may be accessible to later beginners in an overview instead of a clutter in countless of individual threads.

Ruphus



koenie17 -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 12 2015 16:00:12)

Have you allready build a guitar, or is this going to be your first build?
In my opinion the best way to go is to get a good basic plan like Santos Hernandez, Torres o Barbero
and just start building. For sure you will have many things that will need improvement or small(or not so small[:D]) mistakes,
but the good thing about mistakes is that you learn a lot from them.
Follow whatever plan you choose carefully and the result will be ok.
Stop worrying, and start building!!
If you think something is going wrong, there are many great luthiers over here who can give you advise.
Enjoy the ride and have fun.
Dont spend to much money on your first builds, Some cheap materials can make supringly good sounding guitars if done correctly.



Ahmed Flamenco -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 12 2015 17:41:36)

I build one before and I'm asking so I may get better advice.



Anders Eliasson -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 13 2015 7:43:08)

Ahmed, you are doing very well in asking here. This forum is exactly for this.
It sounds to me that you are on the right track. Good soundboard and a decent neckwood. The wood for the other parts dont really matter that much.
The rest is practice, good judgment, gathering information from everywhere, and especially trying to stear clear of all the bad advices.
And finally, building in a more or less stable environment helps A LOT.



estebanana -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 13 2015 15:01:01)

quote:

I've just come home I've seen spruce and cedar tops, they are really really good especially cedar it has the deep color of of cedar used by excellent guitar makers , they are not wide enough as they are for ouds but the man there told me that after 2 or 3 weeks he will have wider tops, so I have to wait some time



If you find really nice stiff cedar you can make a top out of three or four pieces jus t as well a two.



constructordeguitarras -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 13 2015 17:11:45)

I have never had a bad one. So I would say chose one you like and don't worry. Unless there is something spectacularly unusual about it.



Ruphus -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 14 2015 7:48:29)

Seeing how in lack of supply Torres would use pieces from crates ... Could it be that it´s mainly about making it work?

Ruphus



Jeff Highland -> RE: How can choose the right top piece? (Jul. 14 2015 19:42:40)

There is also quartering to look at, When you look at the cut end of the board, the growth rings should be perpendicular to the soundboard surface.
Then there is runout where the timber may have beein cut lengthwise rather than split, or has a twist. this is where the fibres of the timber are not parallel to the surface of the soundboard.



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