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I was looking on rctonewoods site and I seen some beautiful curly white oak and I was wondering has anyone her built with this yet. How well does it bend by hand. Any problems with scorching or any problems I should be aware of. I have always loved white oak. I love Stickley mission style furniture and always thought that I would love to make a guitar with white oak. What do you think of white oak for the neck also? To heavy?...Thanks

It bends easily. I have heard one oak guitar and I liked the sound. I also have a set of oak from bob, real pretty stuff and as soon as I can think of an alternate name for the stuff I am going to build with it.

John

[QUOTE=John K] ... as soon as I can think of an alternate name for the stuff I am going to build with it.

John[/QUOTE]

   Yep, for some reason, people have an aversion to 'oak' guitars... Hey, ever noticed that oak is kao backwards...

   'Yes, this is a Kao guitar... No no, not koa, Kao!!!'

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

That oak set #006 he's got on his site is especially spectacular, isn't it? I wish I'd snatched that one up.

Many people have successfully used heavy woods for necks. I think if you use a heavy wood for the body it will tend to balance things out. Some say heavy necks are good for the sound - I don't have an opinion on that from experience, but the theory does make sense.

I've been thinking about using oak for fretboards and bridges. I've got "character grade" oak flooring on the second floor of my house, and some of these floorboards are just gorgeous - stunning stripes of color reminiscent of macassar ebony. I'm very tempted to rip some of them out of the floor...

We just have to come up with a new name for oak so it sounds exotic. Maybe one of the Native American names for it would do nicely...

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

How about using its scientific name Quercus alba? That sound exotic, you would probably get 3 times the money for it... Thanks John

Todd I wish I seen that first also. Some beautiful sets he had.
I don't know if you ever where into Brian May of queen his guitar was made of oak from an old fire place mantel. The body neck and fingerboard. His father filled the grain of the fingerboard and dyed it black and highly polished it. His father used mohaganey veener on the front and back of the body to disquise that it was made of multi piece's. It sure made a great sounding electric guitar.

Michael, John How used some curly white oak, uh, Quercus Alba for a lovely small guitar. Maybe he'll post pics again?

Here's a pic of a QA parlor guitar in my possession:



It's not curly, but so well quartered, who cares?
Pretty amazing stuff.

SteveSteve Kinnaird38883.9573148148

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Wow! That is nice. My idea is for a twelve fret triple 0 in curly oak built with all domestic woods.

[QUOTE=John K] as soon as I can think of an alternate name for the stuff I am going to build with it.

John[/QUOTE]

Kao is good. How about American Rosewood.
I bought a set from Bob also and I will probably build an OM with it for my next guitar. I'm wrestling with twin cherry guitars currently.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

American Rosewood! Say, there's a great idea.

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Bob is suppose to be cutting some more of the Curly White Oak, I am waiting on a set myself. I emailed him about a month ago and he had some and would get to it, so keep an eye on the site.

Mike
White Oak, Texas

More Kao aka "American Rosewood" coming soon!

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
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Michael,

I say go for it. Build it, let folks play it, and then tell them what it is. You know, "Well the top is Adirondack spruce and the back and sides are Quercus Alba, I'll think of the common name here in a second......why don't you sit down and play it." I bet they will be surprised when they find out.

Keep us posted.

Jeff

I bought one of those sets. I can't wait to get started on it. I'm pretty sure it will be an OLF SJ with redwood top and manzanita bindings.

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

American Rosewood sounds great but it would make me think of a darker wood. When I first read the scientific name my thoughts were to call it Alba. I think that Alba sounds so much more exotic.

Philip

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aka konacat

If you think my playing is bad you should hear me sing!
Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds competence. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in practice.

Or instead of Alba you could call it Jessica

[QUOTE=Shawn] Or instead of Alba you could call it Jessica [/QUOTE]

Ee-cha!

Be still my heart....

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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."

Al Carruth built at least one guitar with white oak if memory serves me. It was gorgeous. What helps make it look even better is to lightly fumigate it with ammonia, which darkens it up nicely.

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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."

[QUOTE=konacat] American Rosewood sounds great but it would make me think of a darker wood. When I first read the scientific name my thoughts were to call it Alba. I think that Alba sounds so much more exotic.

Philip[/QUOTE]
I know that Alba is Greek for white. So Alba wood would be a good name for it.

Or just sweat all over it. It darkens very well from sweat.

How about "Acornian Rosewood"

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

[QUOTE=Don Williams] Al Carruth built at least one guitar with white oak if memory serves me. It was gorgeous. What helps make it look even better is to lightly fumigate it with ammonia, which darkens it up nicely.[/QUOTE]
Don thats the old trick the old craftsman of years ago used during the making of Stickley mission oak furniture. Now they just use stains. Though its not exactly the same in my oppinion. Its just a cheaper way to do it.

[QUOTE=Michael Shaw] [QUOTE=Don Williams] Al Carruth built at least one guitar with white oak if memory serves me. It was gorgeous. What helps make it look even better is to lightly fumigate it with ammonia, which darkens it up nicely.[/QUOTE]
Don thats the old trick the old craftsman of years ago used during the making of Stickley mission oak furniture. Now they just use stains. Though its not exactly the same in my oppinion. Its just a cheaper way to do it.[/QUOTE]

Ammonia fumes are dangerous    It was used in days of old (along with other finish methods) because there was no other way....state of the art for the times.

There's really no common sense reason to use it today, but some repairs on old furniture are fumed to match original fumed finish.

I wasa just a wonderin... if a pecan tree has pecans, a hickory tree hickory nuts and a walnut tree has walnuts, why then does an oak tree have acorns? shouldn't it be acorn wood or the nuts should be oaks.    puzzling..
But
i'd go with ALba for luthery.
Mike

I have another suggestion that is in keeping with tradition--call it figured Northern Ironwood.

Northern Ironwood is a good one.