Wood / Acoustical Properties

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 8 Aug 2001 8:28 am

I'm going to construct a two-neck nine string lap steel guitar,___probably with a 23 inch scale. My Fenders are constructed of alder wood or maybe ash. Would well dried solid maple be a better choice than either of these?

It seems acoustical instruments are made from woods with low specific gravity like maple. That is, the wood is relatively light for it's hardness. I know the top of a violin is spruce. Is this a good choice?

From the "Finger Design" thread, it seems that the blade type nut and bridge are preferable. If the body of the guitar has a great affect on the tonal properties, would it then make sense to rout out a deep narrow channel, about one inch deep, into the wood for the metal nuts and bridges to sit in?

Rick
Sorry b0b, I think this should have gone to No Peddlers [This message was edited by Rick Collins on 08 August 2001 at 09:33 AM.][This message was edited by Rick Collins on 08 August 2001 at 09:47 AM.]

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 8 Aug 2001 3:16 pm

Maple is not particularly light. It weighs the same as White Ash, and they are both much heavier than Spruce. Maple is also heavier than Mahogany, and some types of Oak...notably White Oak. Spruce is quite strong for it's weight, and is used a wide variety of musical instruments. Along with being popular for violins and guitar tops, it's used in keyboard instruments as well. For a D-9, I'd choose Sitka Spruce for its light weight and workability.
As long as the nut and bridge are securely fastened, I don't think much will be gained by deep routing, and insetting.

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 9 Aug 2001 8:29 am

Donny H,

Would you think the Sitka spruce, that is kiln dried and well seasoned, would be relatively easy to find? There are a lot of places in the Claremont/Los Angeles area that carry hardwood. Is it readily available in your area?

It seems to me, that the grain of the wood should be very close and tight, which is one reason I would not favor oak. Oak seems to be heavy, but have a loose grain (unsure about this). I'm looking for something that is not too heavy and something that is hard enough that it can take a mild bump without causing a ding in the wood.

I'll be using E-66 pickups and I plan on doing a lot of experimenting, making mockups of several types of wood and using several types of metals for tests also. I already have a good design worked out.

Rick[This message was edited by Rick Collins on 09 August 2001 at 09:31 AM.]

Sage · Post by **Sage** » 9 Aug 2001 10:26 am

Rick, even though Donny's probably right about the attachment thing, it would be interesting to hear if a deeper set into the wood makes a tone difference (if you are going to make more than one anyway).
I would think that in California you would be able to get good sitka spruce, since it comes from the northwest coast rainforests.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 9 Aug 2001 3:46 pm

Rick, I recommended Sitka (a softwood that is easy to work with) for your first effort...it is available at most mills that deal with hobbyists (but probably not at the "contractor warehouse stores"). Maple or Ash, being hardwoods, might have better sustaining qualities, but you're building a D-9 lap steel, and I just thought they might be a little too heavy. Poplar is a little lighter than Maple or Ash, and is a hardwood also. It tends to be rather plain-looking, though. Red Alder is a very cheap hardwood, but not easy to find in some areas. Now, if weight isn't going to be a concern, then go with the Maple...or even better, and more beautiful, Black Walnut.

Just stay away from the standard pine stuff made for construction. It's no good for instruments. By the way, the terms "hardwood" and "softwood" have to do with the cell structure, and not the weight or hardness of the wood. Balsa wood, which is quite soft and light, is actually classified as "hardwood".

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 10 Aug 2001 9:48 am

Thanks, Donny.

Sage,

I think I will design the nut and bridge to set deep into the wood and machine them with a lip at the top to anchor them down with screws.

I have a bakelite Ric. with strings through the body, seems like this idea with nut and bridge might have somewhat the same effect.

Rick

Fred Layman · Post by **Fred Layman** » 11 Aug 2001 8:51 pm

I got possession of a piece of solid Zebra wood recently. Anyone used that on lap steel, and with what results? I also have some pieces of iron wood -- very heavy. Only 3 inches wide though, so probably not enough for a lap steel.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 11 Aug 2001 9:11 pm

When I lived on Bainbridge Island, WA, circa 1980, and I cut wood for my wood-burning
stoves/fireplaces, I found out real quickly
that BEWARE when cutting down an ALDER tree.
[Relative to the Aspen and Birch.]

The tree grows up in a spiral fashion. Here's the rub. When the uninitiated logger
goes out and starts to fell an alder, he very well should rap the trunk with a locking link of chain or some other type of
girthing refrain.

If this choking application is not adhered to, then decapitation and injury/death is sure to follow.

The tree does not simply cut and fall in the usual way one might expect. It is a dangerous tree, because when you get 1/2 way thru cutting the trunk, it will snap out at you
laterally..........ie...a big piece of the tree will buck out and probably take your head off..............if it is not wrapped
or contained somehow.

It is the Northwest's answer to a smoking type of wood, like Hickory from the south. It
has a great aroma and is used to smoke NW salmon.

But as far as using this wood for an instrument....it is a winding grain, and I feel it is an unstable wood for delicate instrument applications. I do not know about RED alder; but the alder I used and harvested
in the NW seemed to me to be OK for everything but making an instrument. It is
just too unstable.
CF