Official Luthiers Forum!

I have seen a couple of indiginous Aust. pines advertized for soundboards. ould you please compare stiffness, looks, and especially sound with the woods we use US.
Please assume everything is exactly the same for guitar except for the different top woods.
QUESTION!!
I have wood orders coming- tops, B/s, etc.. Weather here, teens and dry. Is it OK to have wood shipped because of weather?
Thanks,

Bob

Three that spring to mind are Bunya Pine from Queensland and Huon Pine and King William Pine from Tasmania.

I don't know too much about Bunya but the largest commercial guitar manufacturer in Oz, Maton, are using it for soundboards. Maybe check their website.

Australian Tonewoods are selling both Huon and King Billy so you would probably get some good information there.

A friend of mine built a Huon/Blackwood dred a few years back. Not a very loud guitar but quite mellow with nice overtones.

Huon is quite an oily and rot resistant wood containing methyl eugenol, which gives it it's distinctive smell, so it's been prized over the years as one of the finest boat building timbers going. Golden honey colour.

King Billy is probably one of the better soundboard woods here but quite scarce. Salmon/Pink colour like pale western Red Cedar.

I'm surprised that Tassie Blackwood is not used much for tops due to its similarities to Koa.

As far as weather is concerned it really depends where in Oz your wood is coming from. In Victoria we are in the middle of the worst drought since they've been keeping records. Mid 30's today and dry. Western and South Australia are generally hot and dry at this time of the year, Queensland hot and humid (although they're in a drought too) and New South Wales you can get extremes depending whether you are in the north or the south of the state.

I'm sure the other blokes from different parts of the country will chime in with more specific local knowledge.

Cheers

Bob

_________________

------------------------------------------------------
Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

Hey Bob, Ill take a stab at your question.

First of all, my take on the weather issue. Wood is wood Bob no matter were in the world it comes from. Sticker it, strap it and store it in YOUR ENVIRONMENT and allow it to acclimatize for a while (dependant on the physical dimensions and moisture content) before you build.

I emphasise "your environment" because IMO there is no sense in trying to acclimatise wood in a build room where you are controlling the RH and temp. Store it where it can move, undercover in your shed/shop is a great place to just let it get the aerobics over and done with.

As long as the end grain is sealed and the boards/sets are well stickered it/they will be fine, but IMHO the lignin must be given the opportunity to workout in the same area in which you intend to restrict the future movement with braces and glue when you build.

Now the pines? Well first off, the only so called pine I have seen used for soundboards myself that is indigenous to AU is Araucaria bidwillii or Bunya Pine. The two instruments that I have played with Bunya tops, were both built by Maton Guitars (Think Aussie Martin) and were loud and excellent.

This particular wood taps with very good resonance and sustain but lacks a little of the intense ring present in spruce or redwood. As a rule, Bunya has wide grain and pinkish stripes of discolouration over a more yellowish gold base but this is not an unattractive feature. Do not be fooled by my description, in the right hands it is a truly world class soundboard material.

Another Aussie "pine?" that has been used for tops is Araucaria cunninghamii Hoop Pinebut I have never played, or even seen a guitar made of it.

The only other tonewoods that I am aware of which you may have seen advertised as pine could be either Athrotaxis selaginoides King William (Billy) Pine which as you will see from the link is pretty highly regarded by certain mando makers, and guitar makers or Lagarostrobos franklinii Huon Pine which has also been used for soundboards, but my understanding is that none of these are true pines.

A very good local West Australian Luthier by the name of Scott Wise has some info about some of these top woods on HIS SITE

Hope this helps Bob

Cheers

Kim

HI Bob,
I think Maton Guitars has compared the tonal and structural characteristics of Sitka Spruce and Bunya Pine finding that Bunya is on a par with regard to strength and tone.
Huon Pine tops that have a lower oil content seems to perfrom better all things being equal.
Celery Top Pine is still an unknown but may prove viable. It is light straw colour with a slightly wavy grain.
King Billy is highly regarded and very difficult to source havng been protected from logging for over 20 years. I have a few sets left and then who knows! The miller I work with has just run out!!
Tasmanian Blackwood is definitely worth a look. Weissenborn makers have no hesitation about using it. I would recommend the straighter less figured grain on the top for a better response.

regards

Tim
Australian Tonewoods

As always, Great info.!

I've got three king billy tops, I haven't built with it yet. It seems very similar to redwood but with a tighter grain (lost count at 40 per inch with 1/8" uncounted) and is related to redwood too.

I'm on the lookout for some good Bunya, they have a pine cone the size of a medium sized watermelon. You really don't want to park your car under one when the cones are falling.

And you wouldn't beleive it, I came home from work last week to find some neibours had cut down a big old hoop pine during the day and had it all carted away to landfill. I've had my eye on that tree for years .

i personally think although it can be good, quite often i have found bunya to be quite characterless and lacking depth to the sound .....it can be a bit harsh

It works well as a solid body electric...more so for rock

but plus's are that its sustainable timber, cheap , great strength to weight, loud....
I'm sure it would suit certain styles of acoustic guitar...but side by side spruce wins out just about every time for me.
Having said that i have heard a couple w/bunya faces that have worked really well....i definitely wouldn't count it out as a viable option.

Quandong is another that i have heard good things from but again best results have been from solid body electric bodies made from it..gratay39051.8969328704