Scored some good wood!

[Ken Hundley]

There's a guy that comes in once a month to do computer maintenance for us, and I had forgotten we had a guitar discussion a year or so ago. Turns out, he built a few back in the day, but got out of it (shame on him)...Anyway, he showed up the other day and just handed me a splendid 30 year old bookmatched, edge-glued, and unblemished Western Red Cedar top he was never going to get too! It's fairly thick, well-joined, but needs some thinning. It is also VERY hard for cedar, possibly because of its age. It is barely large enough for a jumbo guitar, and I am trying to decide what to do with it. I am very excited about it, it has beautiful tone and grain that will only improve with thicknessing, but I have never built with cedar, and haven't given a thought as to what woods to pair it with. Any suggestions? I am more than likely going to do a cutaway since I have really grown to love them, but can't decide whether to build something more traditional, or keep toying with my personal designs...I have soem brace tweaking to do... maybe I just use standard bracing for whatever shape I choose, and not put a soundhole in it. There is NO figure in the grain (I will post some pictures soon). Anyway, I am open to suggestons. Might be fun to do a collaborative design on the forum. I will probably not start this for 6 months or so, until it is warm enough to bend and glue the rim in my garage, so plenty of time to come up with ideas for this one.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Ken,
That is so great that he just gave it to you. Perhaps he has a stack of old Brazilian in a corner somewhere he will show up with one day. That cedar might make a great top for a Macacuaba guitar :>)
From what I am finding, the Maca really rings, and will have alot of resonance....notes bouncing around in there.

Kevin

[Darryl Young]

Build an All-American......cedar top, black walnut back and sides, cherry neck, maple bridge plate (or persimmon), and osage orange or burnt persimmon bridge and fretboard. Or you could use Osage Orange for the back and sides and burnt persimmon for the bridge/fretboard.