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I am trying to locate a link to a video clip which I believe was posted here, and though I thought I bookmarked it I can't relocate it. It was by a highly regarded luthier and what I appreciated about it was that he demonstrated the differences in six or eight spruce guitar top plates. I found one by Somogyi on backs which was similar in a way. I thought it might have been by Gurian but can't find anything under his name. I don't recall any reference to oscilloscopes etc., just by ear. I have searched this forum (am not a member of others) and YouTube without success. Thanks in advance for any help.

I've seen one of Dana Bourgeouis tapping several red spruce tops. If that's the one you can search it up on YouTube.

I have build and sold well over 200 guitars. In my early days I did the tapping , deflection testing and in the end I learned that a lot of this is opinion not based in fact.
tapping really doesn't tell you much . Weight and density are more important. The key point to remember is that once the top is braced and on the guitar it is impossible to say for sure what it will sound like. After about 100 guitars I learned that my patterns developed and I am pretty consistent in tone repetition from one guitar to another. It comes with experience and observation.
Many time people the promote these practices also have a book to sell. I have seen great sounding guitars made from pallet wood , Taylor Benedetto , Torres all made guitar with less than stellar materials and they came out very well.
Learn to find the flaws , wind cracks , runout , structural issues.
If tapping and making a top "loose" was all it took we would be bracing paper .

go to board index

Reference Library of Guitar Tops
Tops only

selecting tops... author rnb

video by greven............. maybe thats the one

Thank you, thronson! That's the one I was trying to relocate. Chuck73 and Bobby M, the one by Dana Bourgeois is similar and also useful. John, your comments about your methods are also helpful. I realize everyone works in his/her own way, and in the end, you're likely never to know how a guitar would have turned out if you had done something differently. I'm coming at this so late that I will never accumulate the first-hand experience some of you have, but I'm sure enjoying (did I say that?) the learning curve. By the way, I will pass some of these on to a brother-in-law who has a way of finding wood along the west coast of Vancouver Island, and if I can get him interested in tonewood it could be rewarding - that was my ulterior motive.

Hey, that is a valuable brother-in-law. I just wanted to weigh in with John: Every time two pieces of wood are glued together the equation changes. It seems no one has any true way to determine how a guitar will sound just by tapping it's parts, but after a few guitars, some folks get pretty good results! Experience trumps formulas.

having a good wood source is a great thing to have

I have a great source for side/back tonewood, but I've not found a source for top wood. WV has a good logging industry, so I should be able to find a source for certain top woods, including Adi. Vancouver Island would be perfect.

My brother-in-law has an eye more for Western Redcedar with very fine grain. I have not yet turned my hand to a classical guitar but it would be fun to start with a piece of cedar whose origin I knew. There is an abundance of excellent tonewood on the west coast up to Alaska. Rather than sidetrack this thread, I have posted an image of one such tree on the "Anything Else" forum here:

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