hallo everybody...
i'm planning next build.. an all claro walnut sj, 6 strings
did anyone ever build a guitar with walnut top? i saw taylor made a 12strings jumbo, all walnut..
any idea of top thickness? should i brace it lighter?
thank you!
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| Author: | bolix [ Mon Dec 27, 2010 7:26 am ] |
| Post subject: | Claro Walnut as soundboard |
hallo everybody... i'm planning next build.. an all claro walnut sj, 6 strings did anyone ever build a guitar with walnut top? i saw taylor made a 12strings jumbo, all walnut.. any idea of top thickness? should i brace it lighter? thank you! |
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| Author: | bluescreek [ Mon Dec 27, 2010 7:39 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Claro Walnut as soundboard |
yes you can do it but we use spruce because it is high in weight to strength ratio . In my early days I tried a number of different tops on guitars . Walnut didn't seem to make a very loud guitar and it was very muddy . Mahogany and Koa are traditional non spruce tops and worked ok but f I prefer spruce . If you do choose walnut brace accordingly I am looking forward to see if others did this and had the same result I had. |
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| Author: | Ti-Roux [ Mon Dec 27, 2010 7:56 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Claro Walnut as soundboard |
You can also consider to put a walnut veneer over a spruce top. It's done a lot, and it's probably the case of this Taylor. |
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| Author: | Laurent Brondel [ Mon Dec 27, 2010 8:47 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Claro Walnut as soundboard |
Walnut is just a tad heavier than either mahogany or koa (on average), so I don't see why it wouldn't work. Hardwood topped guitars have a specific tone, it is an acquired taste. They do not have the dynamic range or loudness of a spruce topped guitar, however. The difference with spruces (and other conifers) is that hardwoods tend to have much more cross-grain stiffness, and much less stiffness along the grain. Brace, carve and tune the top accordingly. Filippo, I will disagree with you here: IME walnut (especially black) has a more satisfying taptone than mahogany and koa (on average) and a greater harmonic range. |
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| Author: | Chris Ensor [ Mon Dec 27, 2010 9:28 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Claro Walnut as soundboard |
I am a huge fan of walnut. I built an all walnut (black not claro) guitar a few years ago. It takes a bit longer to play in and open up, but once it does, I think it sounds great. Mine has no problem with dynamic range. I accredit it to the sound port. This thing is LOUD! But you will need patients, as it takes a while for the guitar to get to a stable sound. It will be constantly changing for a while. Attachment: walnut 1.jpg Attachment: walnut 2.jpg
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| Author: | bluescreek [ Mon Dec 27, 2010 12:36 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Claro Walnut as soundboard |
Did you use a deflection test ? Also would you share top thickness and bracing ? |
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| Author: | Laurent Brondel [ Mon Dec 27, 2010 2:01 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Claro Walnut as soundboard |
Well, walnut is not African Blackwood by any stretch! However the black & Claro walnut sets I have (and built guitars with) have much less damping than maple, mahogany or even koa. |
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| Author: | Chris Ensor [ Mon Dec 27, 2010 2:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Claro Walnut as soundboard |
The top was about .110" to .105" Tapered x-bracing, though I use a sound hole patch instead of braces. I did test for deflection, though I don't recall exactly. To the best of my memory, at thickness, it deflected about 6mm under about 5 lbs weight. Though my memory could be off.... |
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| Author: | John Arnold [ Wed Dec 29, 2010 12:17 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Claro Walnut as soundboard |
Although density is a problem, I don't think it is the major reason that medium density hardwoods may not make the best soundboards. Hardwoods are much stiffer across the grain than softwoods, and the stiffness/weight along the grain is not as high as spruce. With that in mind, I would not necessarily brace it lighter, just angle the braces more parallel with the length of the body. |
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| Author: | DennisK [ Wed Dec 29, 2010 12:26 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Claro Walnut as soundboard |
John Arnold wrote: Although density is a problem, I don't think it is the major reason that medium density hardwoods may not make the best soundboards. Hardwoods are much stiffer across the grain than softwoods, and the stiffness/weight along the grain is not as high as spruce. With that in mind, I would not necessarily brace it lighter, just angle the braces more parallel with the length of the body. Hmm, anybody tried fan bracing a hardwood top for steel strings? That's about as low cross-grain stiffening as you can get. |
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