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I want to make 5-7 spruce tops classical guitar bodies for experimental purposes. (lattice bracing and French polishing) I don't care how it looks as long as it is stiff enough to simulate good tonewood.

Any ideas where I can get wood super cheap?

TFL

Hi Jim - welcome to the Luthiers Forum!
Id try emailing any of the wood vendors here a the OLF, I know AC woods usually has a nice sale on the tops, I picked up some engelmann HAA tops for 12 bucks each IIRC -- You might be able to get them cheaper if your not concerned with cosmetic flaws -

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

I would suggest colonial I got some tops and at time looking for as inexpensive as possible. Really nice stiff top were sent. I would just ask some of the dealers on this site, but can't go wrong with steve

I ordered some very inexpensive tops to practice on from Robert Tibbets. I believe it was 10 for $45.00. His website is http://www.guitarwoods.net. Of course they weren't great but they were better than I expected and were perfect for learning on.

Joe VolinJoe V38455.8744328704

He has a lot of tops on ebay. I bought quite a few spruce and red cedar for very chea and they aren't bad. He also sells lower grade kerfing as well

AC Woods has $8.00 spruce tops. 10% volume discount for 5 sides and Lance posted elswhere a 10% OLF discount. That makes 'em about $6.50 a top. Scott Thompson38456.0343402778

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Scott Thompson
Port Townsend,WA

"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune
But this is reality so give me some room"
-Billy Bragg

I wouldn't skimp too much on the tops. Get them from a good supplier, and explain what you're looking for (tops that feel and sound good, but don't look the part). I'd probably get some Italian Grade II stuff from Rivolta, since I'm Euro-based, runs about 12 dollars each, or even grade III, at 5 bucks or so. The grade 3 I ordered to practice planing down was v. v ugly (gray streaks, etc.) but was dead-on perfectly quartered, no run-out, very stiff, all the rest of it.

I agree with Mattia, if you want your experiments to be accurate, you're
going to need to build with something that resembles good wood. No
sense in putting on a yucky, floppy top that you have to leave extremely
thick. Call the usual supspects and tell them what you want. I'm sure
pretty much everyone has some good quality beit ugly tops laying around
that they would let go for a song.

Thanks for the responses.

And thanks for mentioning kerfing - my stock of kerfing (and bracewood!) needs attention.

I will do some shopping this weekend.

I'll third the notion of using acoustically good tops for experiments. It's hard enough figuring this stuff out without handicapping yourself.

Larry Stamm sells billets at a good price, if you can do your own resawing. I bet if you told him it was for R&D purposes he'd find something that would sound good ad be cheap too. Then you could have four or five tops that were as close to identical as possible. With a little attention to testing beforehand (look up Dave Hurd's book) you could _really_ check out the influence of the bracing pattern.

Alan, How would one contact Larry Stamm about the billets?

I needed some cheap tonewood for some R&D and took the advice on Robert Tibbets. It was 5 tops 4 $45 bucks. It was about an hour before a deadline he had posted for shipping (vacation?) and he still sent me the tops. They are what I had hoped for . . . cosmetically poor, but very well quartered, no knots, only one with a pitch pocket; couldn't ask for more at the price. Got it from NY to MD in a day.

I'm new to this forum. Just reading keeps me too busy to post, but Bob's service was too good not to comment on and I want to be sure not to get removed due to inactivity.

--Mark

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Mark Joy

mjoy Guitars

Larry Stamm

didn't quite figure out his prices though