Official Luthiers Forum!

Well, I'm busy selecting woods for the next three builds (want to join them soon, do the rosettes, so I can go thickness them all. But I'm faced with a minor dilemma about which top to use, so I figured I'd ask y'all for some help. I plan to do some testing with baking these as well, BTW.

Situation: two high-grade Western Red Cedar tops, both very stiff. The slightly stiffer one, and one that looks like it's got some interesting figureing (maybe even some bearclaw), was cut in October 2002. The other one, a tiny bit less stiff (if at all..almost impreceptible differences) is from March 2000, but isn't quite so nice.

Keep in mind I'll probably only get around to bracing and tuning by late this summer/early fall, if then, but..which top would y'all use? Does 2 years of additional aging really matter? Both have been sitting here for about 6-8 months. I'm tempted to go with the potential 'pretty', slightly stiffer wood, but I figured I'd throw this up for comment.

Mattia, if it's been cut and stickered, a top will dry in ~2 weeks. So I would say both of your tops are of equal hydration.
When it comes to age, you're right, a couple of years won't really make much difference. Unless the thing has been sitting for 50+ years or so, you won't get that "aged" effect from it. I think you are thinking the right way in terms of using the slightly stiffer, newer wood. It should be fine all other things being equal.

OK, thanks! As I thought, I'm going for pretty and stiff. Nice when these things work out, eh?

Personally I would go with the stiffer top although I like the look of figured WRC...it is alot less pronounced than Spruce but adds an extra dimension to how people look at your guitar.

Having said that..Ed Dick of AC Woods (OLF sponsor) often has figured WRC and sets aside for those that are looking for something different. Ed has digital photos of his wood on his website and has a separate section for special "different" tops.

Speaking of which...one of the cool things in the way of WRC that I got from Ed was some WRC that is a deep chocolate brown...not streaky (although that can look cool) but an even dark top that really sets off a flashy rosette. I had seen a really nice Classical that had been built by Jeremy Locke in Australia only to find out that he had gotten the WRC from Ed in Canada. If there is a certain look or quality you are looking for in a top let Ed know and he will set it aside for you.

Shawn, the figured top IS the stiffer top, so that's all good there! I've perused Ed's site several times, admiring the WRC, but haven't actually ordered any of that from him yet. Maybe when my bank account recovers a bit.

If you are looking for WRC and want a killer look...ask Ed about his tops that are chocolate brown...not streaky , even colored but very dark. Lots of medullary rays that reflectlight so it doesnt look dead but a very cool look. If you do a Web search for Jeremy Locke's site, he is a classical builder in Australia who buys the dark WRC from Ed (as I do too) and has pictures of it on his site.