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The tail blocks for sale by both StewMac and LMII are all mahogany? Why mahogany? What other woods are useable? Do they need to be quartersawn?

Steve, lots of folks are using the high grade burch plywood. It provides better crack resistance should your guitar be dropped on its butt

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Baltic birch gets my vote as well. I use 1/2". You could also laminate your own buy why? Don't use the stuff from the Home Depot. It has lots of voids that will come back to bite you in the butt (no pun intended) someday. Splurge for the good stuff. I just bought some $42 for a 5 x 5 sheet.

I have a whole boxfull of pre-cut Honduras Mahogany & Sitka Spruce one piece tail blocks that I would sell for cheap if any one is interested. Just drop me an email or PM.Tim McKnight38370.4921990741

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Stay with the Baltic birch...also called Russian birch. There is also a multiply made from apple, but it's significantly more expensive. I just bought a sheet of the 1/2" Russian birch at my local hardwood supplier and it cost $42. It ought to last about the rest of my life!<g> The first sheet I bought lasted 4 years, but I cut other jig material out of it, along with a LOT of tail blocks.

Has anybody noticed if using plywood for tail blocks changes tone or loudness? I have read a few classsical building books where the instructors use plywood. Just musing here but I guess most potential buyers look in the guitar and say "there is a piece of plywood in this here guitar!! How come?" I will have to give this some thought and try it I guess. Thanks for the info.

Ron, this is just my opinion (but that's kind of why we're all here isn't it) but if anything, I would think it would lend a hand in making the guitar slightly louder. My reasoning is that the glue of the plywood as well as the cross grain layout would tend to bounce the sound better than a solid piece that might have the tendedcy to absorb the sound. But because the plywood block is much smaller, the tonal differences will be minimal. If you can hear them, you have a much better ear than I.
Paul

[QUOTE=Ron Priest] "there is a piece of plywood in this here guitar!! How come?" [/QUOTE]

Just laminate a piece of spruce or mahogany to the face. Unless they plan on disassembling the guitar, they would never know. That is not to suggest you don't tell them about it. Most people would understand the reasoning behind the ply. As long as it won't effect the sound and improves the guitar structurally, they won't care.   Besides, it never hurts to make them look as nice as possible on the inside.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

I have used--all these years--Sitka blocks with the grain running the direction of the side grain. To help offset the tendency for splits, I've been plowing a 1" wide by 1/8" deep groove in the center of the block. (This groove faces the innards of the guitar.) Into said goove, I've been inletting a stip of hard maple, running at 90* to the spruce's grain. I figger that it corresponds to the butt wedge glued on the outside, and helps stabilize the forces. A bit. The question, and perhaps a poll would be in order: IS this enough? You see---you've got me a bit nervous here.

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Steve, I see no reason why what you've done would
fail. I used to do the same type of thing but found that
it's much easier to put a piece of plywood in there.

Paul,
Thanks. If I had customers like the guy right above, I'd put plywood everywhere.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Olson uses high grade baltic birch, so does Charles Hoffman, I think Kevin Ryan does also. Seems these guys know a thing or two about building.

That's why I use it also.

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