Official Luthiers Forum!

The budget won't allow me to buy the high grade Lutz stuff from Shane, so I'm thinking about trying some of his AA grade. I like some color in my tops (as long as it's symmetrical), and am mainly concerned with the structural and acoustic properties. Any of you guys build with this stuff and want to share your experience? Pics would be great too.

Note: This is in no way a knock on Shane's wood or his prices. This just reflects of the reality of what I can afford right now.

Thanks.

Low grade wood can be beautiful and is usually marked as a lower grade to reflect cosmetic issues. I'm sure a lot of excellent tone wood is ignored because it is too stripey. Go for it.

Bruce, I bought some from him recently. I have not used it yet, but it is great wood - light and stiff. I like the tops that have more interest, so I like the lower grades. Go for it.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

Thanks. I like the interesting stuff too.
What grade did you buy, Steve?

Bruce,
I'm sorry. I don't remember. Talk to Shane and tell him what you want and how much you want to spend. He'll take care of you.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

wow! if that's AA, then sign me up because that's more than "OK" to me. that's beautiful!

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sweat the small stuff.

Shane, if that is your AA, you are shorting yourself. I agree with Heath, its beautiful and I know that it will ring like a bell. AA is more than fine for me.

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Aoibeann

Oh MANNNNNN! Everyone has to remember that Todd has taken a set with 'issues' and squeezed this top out of it and then used an amber tint to mask the colour varitaioins in that set. Structurally that set is indeed wonderful and really it is quite nice visually in my books as well. I think that Todd got that set in one of my clearout 2A packages that I do every once in a while. There are indeed some sets in the 2A grade that are like that, but others are not that well quartered.

But, as Steve said, if you are looking for something to get you going let me know and see what we can come up with!

Lillian yours are on the way and will be there soon!

Thanks

Shane

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Canada

Top wood is not where you want to pinch pennies (that is an English expression, no? Here are some of my favourite ones, in RED!). Sure, usually the differences are mostly cosmetic, but there is also the issue of how well the wood is quartered and the degree of run out, both of which are factors which will influence the strength of the top. Then there is stiffness and weight... Not that excellent instruments can't be made, and have been made with less than "perfect" top woods, but I think it is a good idea to stack the cards in your favour and get wood that at least is well quartered and with as little run out as possible. If nothing else, lack of run out is going to make it easier to hand plane if you had planned on going that route. Usually that means going up to the next highest level, or I believe AAA in Shane's world, and it is really not that much more expensive than the next level down; the difference is about the same as a set or two of strings, not a very high percentage of the total cost of materials for your guitar, but as far as the sound of your guitar it can be lots of bang for the buck. Good looks is important only if it means the top is better structurally, which is not always the case, but it is so more often than not.

I know Shane is very good at both cutting and selecting the wood that he sells, but much tone wood grading out there is based on visual criteria. For the best, most experienced guitar makers other factors are more important; read what Dana Bourgeois has to say about it in his classic Voicing the Steel String Guitar article. Here is an excerpt:

So, I flex the top, listen to it and check the grain for directionality. The last thing I consider when buying top wood is the appearance of the wood. Obviously, I try get a pretty piece of wood on a special guitar, but only if it is going to make it sound good! I try not to be seduced by appearance, so I make that my last criterion. Having said that, there's probably a 75% correlation between the appearance of a top and the way that it sounds. I mean , if the color is even , the grain spacing is even, the grain is straight, and there's lots of medullary ray, chances are the top's going to be a killer. But not necessarily. The trick is not to take that for granted. Conversely, a funky looking top can sound spectacular

Bruce, I'd be willing to go in with you to get the 10 set discount on the AAA. If your interested drop me a PM.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

Thanks for all of the good input. (BTW,That guitar is a killer, Todd.)

Arnt - I generally agree with what you wrote and my intention was to find out to what extent the downgrading was cosmetic. I just finished a guitar with a funky looking $5 top that really sounds great, but maybe I just got lucky.

I think I'll save my money for the good stuff (and hope for a sale )

Ten 2A grade tops arrived from Shane recently. Maybe not as pretty as the ten 3A tops that arrived today but for the money the 2A tops were great value and will make some nice instruments.

Cheers Martin