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Does anyone have experience or thoughts on using a Sinker Redwood top on a nylon string guitar? I have this idea that a sinker top will be somewhat bright sounding and it may work well....and no I'm not trying to sell it.

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David White, Toronto

"All my favourite singers can't sing."

I personally don't have experience using redwood for nylon stringed guitars but I plan to use it in the future. It is my understanding that it makes a wonderful top closer in tone to cedar than spruce. Like cedar you'll need to be extra careful in handling it as it is easily damaged and you'll probably want to leave it a tad thicker than a spuce top, again similar to cedar. If I'm not mistaken it has been used successfully by several well-known classical builders for quite some time, one of the first (at least that I heard of) being Jose Oribe. As a matter of fact, I noticed it being used for nylon stringed guitars well before I ever saw a redwood steel string model (once more like cedar). If you do a search on the web I'm sure you'll be able to find some examples.

I think that the rules for all top material applies to Sinker Redwood. I have several tops that I have had for some time resawn from a couple of boards. From one board, the tops are stiff and have a nice tap tone to them. Sets from te second board are like cardboard and have a dull tap tone. Don't know if the later can even be used to make an instrument. I would think that a great sinker top would make a fine soundboard for a nylon string guitar. As mentioned, several classical builders use it although it doesn't seem as popular today as it was when Oribe wrote his book "The Fine Guitar".

The two sinker redwood tops I have are considerably denser and stiffer than "normal" redwood or cedar, one is about the same as sitka and the other is denser still. I generally thickness to a desired stiffness regardless of the species, which normally means cedar and redwood would be left thicker but I expect the sinker redwood I have will end up about the same thickness as sitka.

Although I only have two pieces I have heard anecdotally that sinker redwood is generally stiffer and denser than other redwood.

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David White, Toronto

"All my favourite singers can't sing."