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soundboard?
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Author:  gimp73 [ Sun Jul 18, 2010 11:54 pm ]
Post subject:  soundboard?

I picked up some reclaimed curly redwood that was 3/4" paneling from a house that was built around 1890 and I was thinking of milling it into soundboards. Can wood be to dry for this? I would think you can not get any more stable then this. This would be the first soundboards I have made and just wanted to check before I cut them up.
I am thinking about selling some of these because I do not need them all. I am going to book match them then drum sand them. What is the best thickness and grit to end up at for someone looking at buying soundboards? I also bought A claro walnut slab but I am not sure if I what to make a table with it or mill it up for backs and sides or solid body.
Here is a few pics. The curly redwood is still in reclaimed state with a top coat on it and was not sanded well. The claro walnut was wet with a little water to show the color.
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Author:  jfmckenna [ Mon Jul 19, 2010 9:54 am ]
Post subject:  Re: soundboard?

That is quite beautiful stuff! Let me tell you from experience. I did the same thing. My brother in law is a carpenter who does a lot of remodeling work in Connecticut. Nice houses up there. He gave me a piece of curly red wood siding, nail holes and all. I made a top out of it for a classical guitar. I have to say that I will never do that again. IMO Curly Redwood is not suitable for guitar tops. So far I've been lucky and this guitar is ok. I think maybe the low tension nylon is why. When I got into this project I realized how brittle this wood was to work with. It tends to form concoidal fractures along the curls. I built it anyway with the mind set that I can always retop it. Since then I've sold it but only because a customer begged me for it so I did.

I would however consider making a double top guitar with the stuff as I'm sure that a nomex core would hold it together nicely. Incidentally I made an electric guitar top out of that stuff and it was beautiful and had amazing acoustic properties.

Author:  Mattia Valente [ Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: soundboard?

Electric guitar tops waiting to happen right there.

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