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Hi all, the wood for my 2nd arrived. The cocobolo back looks weird though. I'm not even sure how to describe it -- there're almost two eyes in it. Can you tell me whether you'd keep this back or whether you think I should send it back? Thanks.

Flori

I would without a doubt keep it. It looks like a beautiful back. Those blips in the grain wouldn't bother me, especially as it appears that they would fall right under the waist cross brace. Even if they didn't, though, I probably wouldn't think twice about them.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Do the side fit well with it? Unless it was bought as a prime set, for a prime price keep it. It is your 2nd guitar and if not as a prime set, a good set to use

Flori buddy you don't like that look? I think it looks kind of cool and I think that it would make a great guitar for someone else to build.....

Where'd you get it?

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I would not have bought it but I would not burn it either.

lmi. I'm not sure about the "eyes" look.

Some people like very straight grain pieces of wood, some don't mind a few figures, and others (like me!) just love the wildest figures there are. It's a matter of personal choice and taste. I think wild figures add personality to a guitar.

When I select my back and sides sets for purchase, I try to chose half of it very straight grained (for the customers who prefer that) and the other half for the "wild at heart" people. When taking the order for a guitar, I always discuss this with the clients and show them samples of straight grain and figured sets. When the order is made over the phone or the internet, I send pictures of both kinds so they can chose what they prefer.

With highly figured wood (often flat sawn), stability can be a factor, but personally I have had very little problems with it. Cracked backs are more often due to an overly dry environment.

I think that piece of Cocobolo is pretty cool. I would not hesitate a moment to use it for any guitar, unless the person ordering it prefered othewise.

Cheers,

Thats a nice back,
perfectly quarter sawn, some bee,s wing (usualy disapears with cocobolo but sometimes remains) and those eyes.
they are strange at first sight i thought they were knot shadows but on closer inspection i am not so sure they look kind of the quilt eyes you get on sapele,macacauba,and sometimes mahogany.you do get eye type figure like this in cocobolo sometimes.
if this is the case they will be very pretty under a finish.

if you dont like it then maybe you can find someone to swap the set for a perfect straight grained one with you.

its very dificult to get a perfect cocobolo back espesialy these days i would very happy to sell a back like that in the AAA grade's.
that is presuming the eyes are not knot shadows in that case it would be marked down to AA.

But thats just how i grade all suppliers have there own grading methods and one mans defect is another man "figure".

Joel.

There should be no problems with it acoustically.

I can't quite tell from the photo if that back has already been joined and cut out or if that is a template over the back to show how it will look. If it hasn't been joined and you don't like the look then just turn it around and the offending figure may fall outside of the pattern. If it's already joined and sanded then maybe you should have asked our opinions before you did it.

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

I don't like it. Too me it looks more like a flaw than an area of interesting grain. I am guessing you feel the same way since you posted the question. If so, I would return it. No sense in spending all that time using a piece of wood that you aren't drawn too.

I'm personally not too fond of the look...

I think it's kinda cool. But like Joel said, if it's not joined, flip it around so the "eyes" are on the outside and see how it looks.

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Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

Flori, I think LMI treated you right.
That's a beautiful piece of Cocobolo.
I wouldn't hesitate to build with that.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I think it looks fine. I would definitely build with it.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Totally unacceptable! Send it to me for proper disposal

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53% of all statistics are made up on the spot
http://driftwoodguitars.blogspot.com/

...use it as a soundboard... the soundhole will go right on the "eyes"!!

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everything you know is wrong

Well, I think it's grown on me. I'm still not crazy about the eyes, but the back and sides both have this neat almost checkered pattern that shimmers in the light. It's almost like checkered flame.

Anyway, I'm hopeful the eyes will be less obvious under a finish. They do run through to the other side of the back, which makes me worry that the figure is knot related. Hence my posting this. Still, if there are no structural issues, I'll go ahead with it.

The back is joined and sanded, by the way. I order that way because I'm building in our apartment's guest bedroom. Plus, after hearing about the potential for sensitization, etc, I wanted nothing to do with thickness sanding cocobolo. Though I'll have to take the random orbit to this back, it's quite heavy and the tap is pretty dull at the moment (that's at .095).

I like how my Granadillo "bowtie" came out. I Have a sister set (less pronounced effect) . looking forward to using it.

That is a pretty piece of wood. I think it will grow on you more and more.

Never seen a cocobolo soundborad i would worry about the weight and and the desity damping the string vibration.
you never know till you try though.

I think that peice will make a supurb back.
even if it is a knot shadow it will not overly weeken the back so as to cuase a failier of any kind pin knots are very common with coco bolo and they very often splash across the quarter sawn face.

by the way the chequred figure you are describing is called beeswing figure and it is very comon in cocobolo.
it is caused by very fine frogs hair curl crossing fine ribbon figure on the quarter sawn face.
unfortunatly it very rarely stays after the finish is applyed with cocbolo but its a sighn of well quartered peice of wood.
You dont often get the light ribbon figure if the wood is off quarter.
the ribbon figure is allmost impossable to see with cocobolo but it is what causes the the bees wing.

Thats a stuning back i would be very happy with it,

Joel.