Help me choose Purdy Please!

[Diane Kauffmds]

After making a list of potential woods, then listening to recordings,these are the woods that have made the "final cut" for back and sides. I'll be making a road trip to Columbus, OH (since we only have a small music store here), and I'll be dragging a friend along to play guitars while I stand back and listen.

I found a set of highly figured Peruvian Walnut back and sides online that I've fallen in love with, so it's first on the list. Has anyone worked with figured Peruvian Walnut? I heard a guitar made with this walnut with an Adirondack Spruce top, and it sounded really great. I'm going to try to find a guitar with walnut combined with Carpathian Spruce, so I can compare. Once I choose the back/sides, I'll choose a wood for the soundboard.

Here are the final three that made my list; I would be happy with any of these woods:

1. Peruvian Walnut
2. Pau Ferro
3. Bubinga

My questions are:

1. Are there any difficulties/pitfalls with working with any of these particular woods?
2. I like a highly figured wood for the back/sides; how much harder is it to work with figured woods?
3. Out of this list, which wood would you choose, and what wood would you use for the sound board?
4. Does the species of spruce wood for the braces affect the quality of the sound? What wood would you use for the bracing?

Well, this rounds out my questions for this moment...more questions to come.

Diane

[David L]

I like Peruvian Walnut but I'm like you in so much that I like highly figured wood so my top choice would be some waterfall Bubinga if you can find it preferably Quarter sawn. I have been hearing that Bubinga is up and coming as a wood with very good tone qualities (I've never heard a guitar made of Bubinga being played so...)
As far as matching tops to B&S I'm going to leave that to the other folks on the forum who know a lot more abut that kind of stuff than I do.
My opinion based on what I hear, what I read, and understanding how a guitar works the single most important component on a guitar is the top regarless of what you use for your B&S. I'm not saying that other components such as the B&S, neck mat'l, FB, etc... don't influence the sound but they are minor players compared to the top, again, my opinion.

David L

[johnnparchem]

I think any of those woods mentioned would make both good looking and great sounding guitars. They are all good tone woods. I also think that for the most part the back unless designed to be an active part of the voice is not the major contributor to the sound. The top and the body\bracing style seems to make the most difference. Figured Bubinga can be a little hard to bend, but as a kit you could get the sides bent. I did make one bubinga 00 guitar and it sounded great.

[Diane Kauffmds]

I like Peruvian Walnut but I'm like you in so much that I like highly figured wood so my top choice would be some waterfall Bubinga if you can find it preferably Quarter sawn. I have been hearing that Bubinga is up and coming as a wood with very good tone qualities (I've never heard a guitar made of Bubinga being played so...)
As far as matching tops to B&S I'm going to leave that to the other folks on the forum who know a lot more abut that kind of stuff than I do.
My opinion based on what I hear, what I read, and understanding how a guitar works the single most important component on a guitar is the top regarless of what you use for your B&S. I'm not saying that other components such as the B&S, neck mat'l, FB, etc... don't influence the sound but they are minor players compared to the top, again, my opinion.

David L

I agree with you David, that the top is the most important component. I'm hoping that my choices for the rest of the guitar, will enhance the top, so that I get great harmonics and sustain. I could be totally off base here, but I would think that the choice of the wood for the rest of the guitar is what rounds out the sound. While I was considering building a guitar, I went to the music store and played 2 identical guitars from the same manufacturer; both had sitka spruce tops. One had mahogany sides and back, the other rosewood. I could hear the difference between the two guitars.

I found some killer figured Peruvian Walnut and I'm 90% sure that I'm going to buy it.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

I am building with a carpathian top now on an EIR dred. The box is closed but at this step, it is not telling me what the guitar will sound like.
I have not built with any of the B & S woods you are listing so I can't comment on their qualities. Of the three, the rosewood will probably be the easiest to bend, the Peruvian second. Very different looks with all three of course.
If you like the Peruvian set you found, go for it, put a Carpathian spruce top on it and I'll be you will be totally happy and surprised with how good it sounds when you are done.

Kevin

[David L]

Diane, Have you purchased any of the B&S sets that you mentioned in your original post? Does the Peruvian Walnut have any figure to it? I haven't seen a lot of Peruvian Walnut but never have I see any with figure, not saying it isn't out just that I haven't seen any.

David L

[Diane Kauffmds]

Diane, Have you purchased any of the B&S sets that you mentioned in your original post? Does the Peruvian Walnut have any figure to it? I haven't seen a lot of Peruvian Walnut but never have I see any with figure, not saying it isn't out just that I haven't seen any.

David L

No. I've not purchased anything; unfortunately, they must have sold the Peruvian walnut I saw. There were 2 sets with outstanding figure on them, but they aren't on the site today. I'm still looking at sets.

I'm a total newby. I want to buy a quality guitar kit, then substitute the wood that I find. All of LMI's kits allow me to substitute wood from their site; I know that Blues Creek will build a kit too. I just happened to cross paths with the Peruvian walnut, and absolutely loved the wood.

My favorite wood always has been highly figured walnut. I own guitars with rosewood, cherry, and mahogany. I've decided that this guitar will have something different.

Here's set of Peruvian sitting in my 'queue.'

pruvn.jpg

[Diane Kauffmds]

Here's set of Peruvian sitting in my 'queue.'

pruvn.jpg

Yup; that looks like what I saw. There were 2 sets; both are gone now. But, I'm sure there are more out there.