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Colin North
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Fri Jul 10, 2020 1:40 pm 
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Tim Mullin wrote:
Colin North wrote:
Redwoods, forest near Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland. Some were blown down in a big storm several years ago.

Well, that tree should be sufficient for a few guitar tops, but not the same species as the “redwood” best known to guitar makers. Coastal redwood is very important for timber (and tonewood) in its large natural range, whereas the close relative, giant sequoia is no longer important for timber in the US, and has a much smaller distribution, much of it protected on US Federal land. Scottish botanist David Douglas took both species (along with Douglas-fir) throughout the British empire. I’ve seen both trialed in NZ (along with the third redwood, “dawn redwood”), but only coastal redwood became broadly accepted for plantation forestry. All three redwoods are in the Cypress family (together with guitar favourite, western redcedar), but taxonomically different genera.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry, my mistake, pic of coastal redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) in Scotland under


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_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.
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jfmckenna
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Fri Jul 10, 2020 2:16 pm 
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doncaparker wrote:
JF--

My wife and I spent 2 weeks touring Scotland in the summer of 2013. It was during a rare sunny heat wave, and Andy Murray won at Wimbledon. So, everybody was in a great mood. It was a fantastic trip. We just about went from one end to the other: Iona, the border with England, the Orkney Islands, and lots in between. Colin lives in a wonderful place, chock full of castles, lakes, mountains, fairy pools, obscene Viking graffiti, and much more. If you go post-Covid, I can recommend a small van (about a dozen passengers) tour company for really seeing everything: Rabbie's Tours. It was the perfect size for us.


Nice!

My wife went there for a conference about 5 years ago and when she came home said, "You have got to see Scotland." So there it is on the table. We did go to Ireland once so I guess we may as well put England and Whales on the table too :D
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Colin North
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Fri Jul 10, 2020 3:25 pm 
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"Whales " - I hope that was autocorrect!

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.
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doncaparker
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Fri Jul 10, 2020 3:32 pm 
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When you think about it, it's very fitting to have an extra, unnecessary consonant in something having to do with Wales.

Real Welsh places:

Bwlchgwyn
Eglwyswrw
Ysbyty Ystwyth
Ynysybwl
Cwmystwyth
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profchris
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Fri Jul 10, 2020 3:55 pm 
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Here is my yew topped tenor guitar in action (based vaguely on a 1920s Lyon and Healey).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX45U-tv-Uk

It's ladder braced with a floating bridge, in case that helps decide how an X-braced top might sound.

You can't see the heartwood/sapwood contrast in the video because of the sun, so here it is (though 3 years on the white sapwood has yellowed quite a bit, I'd say it looks even better now):

Attachment:
Yew top tenor.jpeg


I'd build with yew again like a shot, except last time I ended up in A&E with breathing problems :(


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Colin North
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Fri Jul 10, 2020 5:38 pm 
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Longer Welsh town name -
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.
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jfmckenna
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Fri Jul 10, 2020 5:55 pm 
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Colin North wrote:
Longer Welsh town name -
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch


Yes auto correct :D

That must be where the great artist Johann Gambolputty lives?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYMRjnM6j6w
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Ruby50
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Sat Jul 11, 2020 8:57 am 
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I built an Oak guitar and got the wood from "Mr. Oak", Sam Tallarica near Reading PA. He supplied the Oak for Martin's run of Oak guitars 15(?) years ago.

The wood I bought was from a Scottish White Oak, and he gave me a picture of his fondling a pile of it while buying. They were all big, the biggest at 60+ inches across. And here is the instrument I built out of it - it also has a German Oak neck - up to 40 grain lines to the inch.

Ed


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Michael.N.
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2020 9:22 am 
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Colin North wrote:
Longer Welsh town name -
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch



Yes, and you pronounce it like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHxO0UdpoxM

. . . . but he has the slight advantage of being from Swansea or Cardiff, can't remember which. When I stayed in Dolgellau I decided it was easier to just say Doll- ge- loo. Don't know about the locals but it was fine by me.
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Colin North
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2020 9:30 am 
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doncaparker wrote:
JF--

My wife and I spent 2 weeks touring Scotland in the summer of 2013. It was during a rare sunny heat wave, and Andy Murray won at Wimbledon. So, everybody was in a great mood. It was a fantastic trip. We just about went from one end to the other: Iona, the border with England, the Orkney Islands, and lots in between. Colin lives in a wonderful place, chock full of castles, lakes, mountains, fairy pools, obscene Viking graffiti, and much more. If you go post-Covid, I can recommend a small van (about a dozen passengers) tour company for really seeing everything: Rabbie's Tours. It was the perfect size for us.

Obscene Viking graffiti! Love it, got to add that to Scotland's list of attractions laughing6-hehe [:Y:]

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.
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doncaparker
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2020 9:59 am 
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Colin--

Apparently, you can't turn a shovel of dirt in the Orkney Islands without hitting some prehistoric settlement, tomb, or place of worship. When the Vikings sacked these places, they sometimes left their marks on the walls, and some of it was pretty lewd.

You live in a wonderful place. I would go back in a heartbeat.

I most enjoyed the Highlands and Western Isles. I have never seen any place as beautiful in my life, before or since.


These users thanked the author doncaparker for the post: Colin North (Mon Jul 13, 2020 12:01 pm)
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Alan Carruth
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2020 11:34 am 
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I had an archaeology prof who had done field work in Kenya. Somebody asked him how they found sites, and he said:"Kick the ground." The problem wasn't finding sites, it was figuring out where the edges were.
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Colin North
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2020 12:03 pm 
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doncaparker wrote:
Colin--

Apparently, you can't turn a shovel of dirt in the Orkney Islands without hitting some prehistoric settlement, tomb, or place of worship. When the Vikings sacked these places, they sometimes left their marks on the walls, and some of it was pretty lewd.

You live in a wonderful place. I would go back in a heartbeat.

I most enjoyed the Highlands and Western Isles. I have never seen any place as beautiful in my life, before or since.

Thank you and I agree, can't wait for the current situation to ease and to go back to the west coast again.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.
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jfmckenna
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2020 12:54 pm 
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I remember looking for some castle in Ireland and we were standing on the side of the road so obviously tourists and this older gentleman rode his old three speed bicycle up to us for a chat. He asked us were we were going and I mentioned the name of the castle which I cannot remember now and he pointed up the hill to the ruins and said, "awe that old place they should have torn it down a towsand years ago," winked and when on his merry way.
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Clay S.
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2020 2:19 pm 
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I stumbled on this from the link in the bog oak thread. Yew -might want to try it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odYn_CBcaDM
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doncaparker
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2020 3:59 pm 
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In fairness, I'm pretty sure that geetar player would make just about any instrument sound great. But, point taken that the guitar sounds very responsive.
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Clay S.
 Post subject: Re: British timbers
PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2020 7:46 pm 
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According to the wood database yew is a bit heavier than mahogany and not as stiff. I thought the guitar almost had a nylon string sound which I found attractive, and reading the comments someone else felt the same way.
Michael Watts is undoubtedly a good guitarist and it seemed like he had to work at it a bit to get the sound out of that guitar.
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