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Use to be Indian Rosewood but in the past two years Curly Narra as been very popular by my clients

It's a toss up between Brazilian Rosewood and Claro Walnut. Cocobolo is request a lot too.

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Don Sharp
Got Brazilian?
http://www.sharpguitars.com

[QUOTE=LanceK] Sorry bout that, Cocobolo was in the wrong spot, is should be on there too.[/QUOTE]

Oh...for an edit button!!!

Sorry...just couldn't pass on that one, Lance!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

(REPOST)

For those that build commissioned guitars, what back and side woods do you get asked to use most often.
I will start a different thread for tops.

Answer using the poll, if there is something not listed, add it in a responce.

Thanks!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

I will say as a general trend I am working almost EXCLUSIVELY in "core" woods.

Rosewood (Madrose, cocobolo, brw, EIR, Amazon)
Mahogany (hondo primarily)

With a tiny smattering of:

Koa
Maple
Walnut
Ebony

I am almost to the place where I am not even buying anything but core wood.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Players are probably less educated up here than in your part of the world, because the most common request I get is "rosewood".    

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

my last two queries were kingwood.

Told them both I didn't trust myself to work with such expensive wood!!

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

Black Limba and Primavera were my last 2 commissions.

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

Mostly I get asked to do Honduran Rosewood.

This question is going to be very highly dependent on how you ask your customers what they want......

If you show them examples of what you have available or what the possibilities are you just skewed the results.

Michael are your customers asking, out of the blue and having never seen your prior nara guitars in person or in pictures, for nara?

So is this a "dim sum" question where many choices are placed under a prospective clients nose or is the question asked with no possible influence from the builder?

Builders get type cast at times by their past work.  For example when I think of Lance I think of coco and LS.

No Hesh They all saw either the photos of the first Narra commission I did and or saw one of the two that are in process. But that trend may change when they see the Japanese Cherry I will be building for myself this spring

I think that a corollary to this question should also be presented.  "What woods do you actually build from to most."  Client inquiries often shift after due consideration of all factors, especially price of the wood.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

[QUOTE=MichaelP]No Hesh They all saw either the photos of the first Narra commission I did and or saw one of the two that are in process. But that trend may change when they see the Japanese Cherry I will be building for myself this spring [/QUOTE]

Got it and thanks Michael - I thought so - that is what you get for making such superb guitars!!!!!!

Most people I talk to want Quilt Sapele.

Ok, so I say that because I'm sitting on bunches of sets of the stuff. You got me.



Rosewoods, acacias (Koa and Tas Blackwood), and the Mahogany type stuff.

Now ask Colin, and you'll get a totally different answer...

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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."

Right Don 9 times out of 10 my customer asks for mahogany, but then I probably have the most discerning customer there is. A fine guitarist who really appreciates the woody growl that only mahogany can give. A customer not seduced by the blousy, over dressed, woods that are popular with those of a less sophisticated nature.

Good job I only build for myself!

Colin

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

I prefer Natilie Wood - it's not hard to find just walk along the beach and it will wash up on shore............

Natilie wood,

Seriously though, I really truly am interested in knowing what everyone is being as to build with.
Not what we build with when building a personal guitar, but rather what a customer asks for.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

I'm doing a run of Indian rosewood guitars.
Couldn't be happier...I love the stuff.

Of course, I also love maple. (Just have to say that.)

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

And I should add, Lance, that this is what the customers are asking for. I think it's due to a number of older gents who have had their thinking formatted by the D-28, but they now want that in a "custom" instrument.
Again, this pleases me because even though EIR is often thought of as the poor step child of exotics, it shouldn't be. It is a fantastic material, regardless its nice low price.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Also on a related note (not to get too sidetracked), are the majority of professional luthiers out there able to build from their own stash that they have seasoned in their own shop for an extended period of time, or do you find yourself hunting down ideal sets from the vendors more as commissions come along?

I am sure most have accrued a large enough stash to cover all but the most obscure, but I am curious about the inner workings of the pros!

Hell, I can't wait till I can afford more than just the parts I need for the guitar I have on the bench, aside from extra stuff.

Mostly it's morning wood...

[QUOTE=Rick Turner]Mostly it's morning wood...[/QUOTE]

Yuck - now I don't want one of your guitars........

Without a doubt, the wood that I get asked to use most often is spruce.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.