TONEWOOD THICKNESS? SOUNDBOARD THICKNESS?

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phavriluk
Posts: 554
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:49 pm

TONEWOOD THICKNESS? SOUNDBOARD THICKNESS?

Post by phavriluk »

I've been grazing through the offerings of various online vendors and auction site vendors of tonewoods. It looks like the back and side sets have inconsistent thicknesses, and some of the vendors will sand to my chosen size before shipping the wood. Too bad I have no idea what thickness to ask for. May I please have some advice/comment as to what thickness is appropriate, and is it customary to sand back and sides to the same thickness or are there different preferences for each?

Moving right along, is there a common thickness used for drednaught soundboards? It seems as if the soundboard wood is far more critical to the guitar's acoustic performance as compared to the tonewoods, but the necessity of buying sight unseen seems to cloud up the matter of choosing a thickness after inspecting the wood.

Again, thanks to all who offer comments and advice. It's very much appreciated.
peter havriluk
tippie53
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Location: Hegins, Pa
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Re: TONEWOOD THICKNESS? SOUNDBOARD THICKNESS?

Post by tippie53 »

For most guitars sides are .090 and backs to .115 will be a good start , you have a few thousandths that you can sand for final finish. If you are planning on a slide Dobro then you may want to keep the sides about .125 and the top and back .250. Classical tops can be .080
Cedar and redwood tops need to be about .135 , tops depend more of stiffness . Sitka .115 Red .110
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
phavriluk
Posts: 554
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:49 pm

Re: TONEWOOD THICKNESS? SOUNDBOARD THICKNESS?

Post by phavriluk »

John, thanks for the information. Lots of good content there. And you explained why the kit project I bought with a completed but uninstalled soundboard that's .135 thick - - - it's cedar.
peter havriluk
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