Official Luthiers Forum!

I have a possible build where the request is asking for a cedar top on a dreadnaught guitar, any thouhgts? I'm sure it's fine, just wondering what experiences you have had with this combo...oh, the B/S will be Walnut. The guitar will be used for Chet Atkins style playing.

Thanks,
Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars

Cedar is fine with a dread.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

I did a cedar dread with mahogany...it sounded really nice.
That said....for Atkins style play, I would go sitka or adirondack spruce.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

That's what I was thinking.

Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars

I really like the sound of cedar faces on steel strings...When i was working for a manufacturer i thought the cedar faced guitars sounded really good to my ears but thats because I prefer a round mellow warmer sound..

In fact the nicest handmade australian guitars I have ever played made by david churchill was cedar...In fact I think he only uses cedar faces with rosewood B&S, mahogany necks on all his models and they sound fabulous..

You could definately do a cedar top. It's been done many times over. But I think you'll loose the punch that a dred offers when you put a cedar top on it. You'll get a warm sound that is great but it's not that typical dred sound. Especially when you are talking Chet type music. I'd lean towards a spruce top for that style of playing. Otherwise the warmth might turn into muddiness.

I think Spruce would be better for a flat pickin' Chet Atkins style play. Cedar would give you a more mellow,warmer sound.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755