• From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Topic: ACOUSTIC GUITARS

There are a lot of articles about acoustic guitars.
Some of them are confusing, especially when they start talking about wood used to build an acoustic.
The classic wood used for the top is
- 1) SPRUCE not all spruce is spruce, meaning that USING the same kind of tree, you have US Spruce, but you have GERMAN spruce too. What is here the difference, especially in sound.
- 2) ROSEWOOD: you have the 2 classics: BRAZILIAN and INDIAN rosewood.
Because this wood is, if I am correct, used most.

I know they also use mahagony (I have a dark brown Martin, a D-15 I think, with a 100% mahagony body). The topic is more about what spruce is used normally, and Brazilian versus Indian(& other) Rosewood.

BUT: I asked it already I think: can a human ear hear the difference between 2 guitars, one using the best SPRUCE (I don't have a clue which spruce is the best) and BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD, more for the back of your guitar.
It is not a question of "measuring" the vibrations of a guitar, I correct, if you are able to measure the vibrations, what is the output, what is considered as standard?
AND ABOUT ROSEWOOD (there is also Honduras Rosewood I think) BRAZILIAN is "THE" name great brands use, or like to use.
In fact I can ask 2 questions: you spend a lot of money for your "Brazilian Wood" guitar, but you want to show your guitar for some reason to your luthier:
- Can the human ear hear the difference?
- Can the vibration, giving us the sound through the soundhole, be measured and will there be a difference measuring BRAZILIAN versus INDIAN.
Also: WHY IS THERE SO MUCH TO DO ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF ROSEWOOD?

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

  • From: Scotland.
  • Registered: 2006-07-13
  • Posts: 218

Re: ACOUSTIC GUITARS

Re; Rosewood, Doc.  I think the Brazilian variety is a protected tree nowadays. Only a tiny percentage (if indeed any) can be used nowadays. That's why they use the Indian stuff now.....I think.

I don't know if the human ear can honestly tell the difference or not, but I reckon it's one of those things where you don't actually notice it's there, but you'd notice if it was missing. If that makes sense at all.

Craig.

Blind acceptance is a sign, of stupid fools who stand in line.  John Lydon.

'Mod' is a shorter word for 'young, beautiful and stupid' - we've all been there." - Pete Townshend.
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,662

Re: ACOUSTIC GUITARS

moddish wrote:

Re; Rosewood, Doc.  I think the Brazilian variety is a protected tree nowadays. Only a tiny percentage (if indeed any) can be used nowadays. That's why they use the Indian stuff now.....I think.


Craig.

Hey Craig,

Most of the Brazilian wood used these days for high line guitars has been previously lumbered and the wood sits in a humidor awaiting its turn for production. Martin, for example, the numerical model # represents the age, in years, of the wood used for guitar production.

Peace and Guitars,
SouthPaw41L

Give everything but up.
  • From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Re: ACOUSTIC GUITARS

Thanks MODISH and SouthPaw (T).
Today is my first decent day, after having a couple of days I never want again.. Is it the Berlin trip?
THAT theory I knew, and am I correct that one a day, the whole headstock for MARTIN GUITARS, burned?
So Toney and Craig, let's presume that for some reason you get an uncle or more realistic, there is a guy on ebay who sells his Martin, wood? he has no clue, but he thinks that it is a simple average guitar.
There have to be frequences, and that a luthier can determine your guitar"s vibration?
Since there are a lot of "ROSEWOODS", I think that the South American, excluding Brazilia, rosewood might be better: Honduras?

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

  • From: Scotland.
  • Registered: 2006-07-13
  • Posts: 218

Re: ACOUSTIC GUITARS

Cheers for the info Southpaw. Everydays a school day as they say. smile

Doc, I reckon the Brazilian stuff probably will be better, cos thats what the high end guitars use. Why? I know not. But those buggers are bound too have a reason for it. smile

Craig.

Blind acceptance is a sign, of stupid fools who stand in line.  John Lydon.

'Mod' is a shorter word for 'young, beautiful and stupid' - we've all been there." - Pete Townshend.
  • From: Texas
  • Registered: 2007-07-31
  • Posts: 950

Re: ACOUSTIC GUITARS

"...even two guitars manufactured on the same day are different: board by board, plank by plank, the glue they use, the temperature, the amount of paint- all these elements add to its flavor. With respect to the diversity of the guitar, the interest factor goes through the roof with that one notion of personality and character, piece by piece, performance by performance..... certain guitars just affect one's playing whether its his technique or his sound. And I have on many occasions  shared moments of guitar playing mysteries-like, Man, I played this exactly the same way, but I just happened to play it on a different instrument and it came out totally different." - BILLY GIBBONS, GUITAR WORLD MAGAZINE

   Thought this was a cool quote that kind of related to the subject

All You Need is Love smile

HannahBeth's Website

  • From: Sweden
  • Registered: 2007-01-09
  • Posts: 85

Re: ACOUSTIC GUITARS

I played with a friend that owns a couple of Martins. He let me try one and boy are they sweet... I still don´t think it´s 3800 Euros better than my 200 Euro Tanglewood but It´s like you say, it has something you can´t put your finger on in the feel and sound.

The one I tried is built of brazilian rosewood and the Martins are suposedly built on the edge of exploding to get the tensions in them to produce the perfect sound. They also have a lifetime warranty to the first buyer of the guitar. Pitty they are so expensive...
I could actualy fly to the us, buy a Martin and fly back and still have some money left compared to buying it in Sweden.
/Missen

If you love what you do, there's no need to be good at it...