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A box from the Zootman arrives..
http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=1377		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Mattia Valente [ Thu Mar 17, 2005 11:00 pm ]
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First of two, just the sides. And it's fantastic! Second half is arriving any day now, one assumes. Anyway, seriously, I mean just look at this:



It's already revealing it's beauty! And then, once all the tape and cardboard is removed, we're left with the real reason I ordered stuff from Bob:



Just look at that plywood! Those lines! Those colours! The old nail marks/holes and chipped edges! That beautiful laminated construction!

Oh, yeah, there were these other bits of flat, weird coloured things and a few long strippy things in some bubble wrap. Bit weird, putting most of the packing material on the inside, but that's Bob for ya. The ZootMan works in mysterious ways. Took a few pictures of that stuff too, but I don't think any of you lot would care to see it, right?
Author:  Josh H [ Thu Mar 17, 2005 11:13 pm ]
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Author:  Don Williams [ Thu Mar 17, 2005 11:37 pm ]
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ok, I'll bite. Let's see the innards!
Author:  Mattia Valente [ Thu Mar 17, 2005 11:55 pm ]
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Well, if you guys insist...

First, there's Coco and 3 sets of Black Walnut:


Next up, staying in the Americas, a set of Sycamore and two really nice curly cherry sets 'o' side:


Then, playing for the African team, various shades of quilt, and a set of wavey sapele:


Sure, it's not quite as thrilling as the plywood, and the pictures don't show up the grain on these weird stripey board things as nicely as Bob's do, but trust me when I say they're really, really, really fantastic, gorgeous bits of tonewood. Truly great stuff. I do need to go get some thinner stickers, because I don't have the space to store all of the sets 'properly' right now. 31 sets is the latest count..

I mean, the plywood's still prettier, of course, but I'll make do with these as well. Such is my destiny.
Author:  Jeff Doty [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 12:43 am ]
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Mattia,

You lucky guy! Awesome woods. Have you thought about insuring your wood stash?! 31 sets of very valuable tonewoods is no small investment. There's a new idea, tonewood safes! Fire proof, humidity controlled, and with built in stickers!

So which set is next on the build list?

Jeff
Author:  John Kinnaird [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 12:46 am ]
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Hey nice stuff
   Not only do you have a great set of plywood sides but you have some extra material for a plywood peghead overlay. Bob is a generous man

   I really do like that walnut and cherry. Pretty stuff. What do you think about the sycamore? Can it make a good sounding guitar?   I have a set and it seems so light and soft that I wonder at its tonal properties.

John
Author:  Don Williams [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 1:40 am ]
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John...I have heard that Sycamore and Redwood make a great combination. Not sayin' that just because I've got more redwood to sell!
Author:  BruceH [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 2:16 am ]
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Hey Mattia,
Today is your lucky day. I've got quite a stash of that beautiful laminated ply that you like so well and am willing to trade you for that junk you got from Bob. Generous as I am, I'll even give you a two for one trade

I vote that you try the walnut next. Really easy to work with and sounds great.
Author:  Bobc [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 2:25 am ]
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[QUOTE=Don Williams] John...I have heard that Sycamore and Redwood make a great combination. Not sayin' that just because I've got more redwood to sell!
[/QUOTE] Well I have heard the same thing Don. Not sayin' that just because I've got more sycamore to sell!
Author:  Colin S [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 2:34 am ]
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John , Sycamore is a great tonewood I've got some nice flamed English Sycamore from the 1987 Storm (famous iver ghere 15 million trees came down in the South East of England) it's actually a fairly tough resilient wood and adds rich overtones and a woody warmth and sweetness to the midrange, and suits the gentler finger player. If I didn't have mahogany I'd be happy with either sycamore or walnut (and probably cherry). I've got a nice Sycamore and Cedar 000, so I guess they are right with the sycamore and redwood. With your build quality, I'd be happy if you built it and sent it to me for a while!

Colin
Author:  Mattia Valente [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 2:45 am ]
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[QUOTE=Colin S] John , Sycamore is a great tonewood I've got some nice flamed English Sycamore from the 1987 Storm (famous iver ghere 15 million trees came down in the South East of England) it's actually a fairly tough resilient wood and adds rich overtones and a woody warmth and sweetness to the midrange, and suits the gentler finger player. If I didn't have mahogany I'd be happy with either sycamore or walnut (and probably cherry). I've got a nice Sycamore and Cedar 000, so I guess they are right with the sycamore and redwood. With your build quality, I'd be happy if you built it and sent it to me for a while![/QUOTE]

Colin, this is US Sycamore we're talking about, an entirely different family to the English Sycamore (Acer Pseudoplatanus) which is a maple, really. The tree might look like a sycamore (I'm guessing that's where the 'pseudoplatanus' comes from) but the wood's maple. The top on the electric I'm building now, which I got from Dave Dyke, is Sycamore. Very different beast to the US variety. This sycamore looks more like planewood (as in, London Plane) than anything else.

I find it difficult to judge based on just the sides, but it feels nicely stiff, and has some tap to it; I seem to recall Santa Cruz builds with this stuff quite often, and I think it was Rick Turner that described it as sometimes having the tone of wet carboard (this set doesn't, BTW), but somehow making some might fine guitars. Also some comments by people who tried it and liked it in the MIMF library.
Author:  Mattia Valente [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 2:53 am ]
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[QUOTE=Jeff Doty] Mattia,

You lucky guy! Awesome woods. Have you thought about insuring your wood stash?! 31 sets of very valuable tonewoods is no small investment. There's a new idea, tonewood safes! Fire proof, humidity controlled, and with built in stickers!

So which set is next on the build list?
[/QUOTE]

I *think* my home insurance covers it against fire, theft or water damage (the total value's still within the maximum covered amount, including all the other stuff I've got), although I'm tempted to double-check that. I've got good photo documentation of each set I've got, locally and off-site (ie, on web servers), so that shouldn't be the issue should anything happen to it *knock on lots of wood that's lying everywhere*

Out of the sets I've ordered, I'm building with the cherry first. I'm also going to start work on a Walnut/Cedar jumbo, but I've already got the Walnut for that one, so Bob's beautiful stuff will just have to wait its turn!Mattia Valente38429.4563773148
Author:  Mattia Valente [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 2:59 am ]
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[QUOTE=BruceH] Hey Mattia,
Today is your lucky day. I've got quite a stash of that beautiful laminated ply that you like so well and am willing to trade you for that junk you got from Bob. Generous as I am, I'll even give you a two for one trade

I vote that you try the walnut next. Really easy to work with and sounds great.[/QUOTE]

Tempting, but I've already stacked it all up, and I'm just too lazy to un-stack it

I'm going to try some walnut next, although it won't be THAT walnut, unless the friend I'm building it for decides differently when I put all 4 sets he can choose from side by side and shoot him a picture.
Author:  Mattia Valente [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:04 am ]
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[QUOTE=BruceH] Hey Mattia,
Today is your lucky day. I've got quite a stash of that beautiful laminated ply that you like so well and am willing to trade you for that junk you got from Bob. Generous as I am, I'll even give you a two for one trade

I vote that you try the walnut next. Really easy to work with and sounds great.[/QUOTE]

Well, that's awful kind of you, but you're a bit too late! I've already stacked and stickered everything, and I'm way too lazy to pack it all up again

I'm doing a walnut guitar as one of my next three, although it's not gonna be one of Bob's sets (unless my friend, who I'm building it for, decides he wants one of them when he sees the sets side by side) yet. Saving at least one of those for myself, either a baritone, or as a combo with WRC or Redwood..Mattia Valente38429.4620717593
Author:  bob J [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:08 am ]
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Does the plywood have a nice tap-tone?
Author:  JJ Donohue [ Sun Mar 20, 2005 6:17 am ]
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Nice stash, Mattia. I too have a similar problem in that I just can't resist buying Bob's best! Just when I think I have enough for the future (when I'll actually have building time) he lays out an even more impressive spread. The waterfall Bubinga I received 2 days ago is so beautiful that I have it propped up in my living room just to admire it. I'll get around to stickering it in a few days until sometime in the future when I can make it sing.

I don't believe the Zootman can outdo the WF Bubinga!!!
Author:  Bobc [ Sun Mar 20, 2005 9:19 am ]
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Don't be too sure about that JJ
Author:  Mattia Valente [ Sun Mar 20, 2005 10:44 am ]
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Now you've done it! A challenge! He can't resist a challenge!
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