Official Luthiers Forum!

Forgive my naivete..I'm told that the overwhelming
contribution to the tone of a guitar is due to the
qulaity of the top wood .Why then is 'quality' back/side
wood (Brazilian,ziricote,macassar
ebony,madagascar rosewood....the list goes on....)
so much more expensive when it contributes
considerably less to the tone?

Spruce is abundant compared to the wild b/s woods. And it doesn't have to be imported in most cases. Most continents have some form of top wood. And people are willing to pay for wild and crazy tonewood.

Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

simple answer is spruce, Cedar, redwood are abundunt, fast growing and easy on the tools to process. Hardwoods are less abundant slower growing and harder on the tools. Also many of them are protected local laws and or international treaties that restrict or forbid the harvesting. Those are the ones like Brazilian Rosewood, and the price is very high because the lumber that has been harvested prior to the restrictions is all the lumber that is and will be available.

MichaelP39025.6130092593

ah .... legally available that is!!

Actually, the more common woods used for backs and sides are less expansive than tops. It is the more spectacular and/or rare of the hardwoods that cost more.

Conifers, which make up most of the tops used on guitars, make boring veneer and fragile solid-wood furniture, which makes supply and demand a large part of back and side cost, especially when the wood is particularly beautiful.

[QUOTE=Mario] Actually, the more common woods used for backs and sides are less expansive than tops. It is the more spectacular and/or rare of the hardwoods that cost more.[/QUOTE]

Quite right Mario, as usual, I have almost always paid more for the top wood than the B&S sets. Only recently, under the bad influence of the people on this forum, have my B&S sets been going up in price. Even then it is the cost of shipping rather than the wood itself that has pushed the price up. A good Euro Spruce top, even in Europe is more expensive than a nice mahogany, walnut or EIR B&S set.

Hesh is right though in that the B&S wood can influence the tone of the guitar, compare a mahogany guitar to a rosewood. The difference is there, but the difference between a spruce and cedar top is greater. Mario always says, and again he is right (Mario is always right when I agree with him!) it's all a matter of detail.

ColinColin S39026.2466319444

_________________
I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

I found that he was right time and again, i have less difficulty doing what he says nowadays! I guess i had to learn the hard way!