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I am very close to finishing the backs of a couple guitars and closing up the boxes, however I realized I don't have any quartersawn spruce long enough with the correct grain orientation. Instead of waiting a week to order some online, are there any alternate woods you guys use for the backseam? How critical is it to be quartersawn, or the grain orientation for that matter? Any alternate suggestons would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

John

HI John

I often use the same wood as the back is made off, usually the waist material after I have cut the back out.

I like the grain to be orintated at 90 Degrees.

On the SJ thin line with the three piece Sapele/Maple/Sapele back I used one piece of Aspen to cover both seams. I two orientate the grain 90 degs from the grain of the back. I do this on most any kind of reinforcement patch.

I'm only using spruce at 90 deg. to the grain on the back, but my rosewood Collings dread uses mahogany. With my limited experience, I'd say that grain orientation is more important than the type of wood...

-Mark

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I cut up the scrap from the tops or backs for my reinforcing strips, then I run them through the thickness sander.

Al

I used a cutoff from the top/cedar on my last bouzouki. I think it adds beautiful color, and not very much weight. Grain must be 90 degrees from seam. Just take a 3/8" slice across the top of your top and use that. It should work fine.
Tracy

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I used a strip of perfectly 1/4 sawn purpleheart @ 90 degrees to the grain of the back on my last one. It looks pretty sweet. It adds only a few grams compared to spruce. It doesn't carve, cut, or sand like spruce does, but it functions perfectly and it adds the aesthetic I wanted.
-j.

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I like to use either the same wood as the back, or the same as the bindings for it.
As a "signature" thing, I'll include a piece cut from the back with the backstrip in it, and put that piece right below the soundhole. Yes, corny I know, but it's fun for me.

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I like the inside to all look the same, so I tend to use what ever material is used for the linings. To date, it's all been mahogany, and the head block matches too.

Although spruce internals would look good on dark woods of course.

I don't think it realy maters what you use, but if you use something I think it best to make the grain 90* to the back, and quarter sawn too.

It can be an asthetic thing also, so you can pick and choose all you like. Tracy does have a good point as far as weight goes.

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Just wondering out loud.

Why does it have to be quarter sawn?
Why does it have to be 90 degrees to the grain? Wouldn't 45 degrees work? 30? 50?
Is it really needed at all?

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[QUOTE=Don Williams] As a "signature" thing, I'll include a piece cut from the back with the backstrip in it, and put that piece right below the soundhole. Yes, corny I know, but it's fun for me.
[/QUOTE]

I've got one of Don's guitars, and that little "signature" thing always generates a universal positive comment. A guitar buff spots a little detail like that immediately, whereas a non-GAS afflicted person never notices it.

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Don,,,I don't think it "corny" at all . I love all those little additions .

Regards Kiwi

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Hey Don, do you have a pic? I'm not exactly sure what you mean, and I couldn't find an example on your website. Do you mean you put a small piece in the backseam?

Thanks!

John

[QUOTE=SteveS] Just wondering out loud.

Why does it have to be quarter sawn?
Why does it have to be 90 degrees to the grain? Wouldn't 45 degrees work? 30? 50?
Is it really needed at all? [/QUOTE]
Steve,

Quartered, so it moves the least with variation in humidity.

90 deg. (I think), so any movement that does occur will be evenly distributed along the back seam. It also would seem to offer the greatest resistance to any tendency of the seam to split.

Is it needed? Well, we had a thread here some time ago about just that topic. Though I agreed that there's nothing wrong with using the seam reinforcement, and will use it myself, it was my contention that it should not be neccessary with a properly joined back. Once it's joined, the back should behave as if it were one piece of wood, so it's just as likely to split someplace else as it is the joint. Howard Klepper (who has much more experience than I in all things guitar) disagrees with me. I'd believe him, if I weren't me.

Steve, i was asking myself the same questions when i was looking for a back strip that was long enough but could not find pieces that had the 90 degree that i was looking for. I then thought about the strength that the glue joint provides even if the angle would be 45 degrees, it seems to me that it would still act as a one piece back, especially if the back was added a decorative center strip but i didn't dare ask the questions here, you da Man!

Hey Don, I have done the same thing. It looked really good with the mahogany back wood and the center stip that was paduk and holly. Makes a nice touch. I really did not copy you, just similar thinking I guess.

Donovan

I've always used spruce or cedar, an offcut from the soundboard. I have a Francisco Navarro classical, however, in which he used a piece of inlay banding, which looks a lot like the "M" selection here, except it's about 3/4" wide. Looks pretty cool, really.

Best,

Michael

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Here's the only photo I could find of Don's additional centerseam thingy...best photo I could find. He probably has a better one.

Bill

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