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Joined:
August 2011
Posts: 12
Location: Los Angeles | i'm planning a custom Mandocello to have ordered, and am torn on the top wood. advice welcome.
right now bubinga and quilt ash are the ones i'm torn between, but if anyone else has a recommendation for a good topwood for this type of instrument to accentuate the low C, etc., i'd love to hear your thoughts. |
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Joined:
September 2008
Posts: 1281
Location: Ohio | Ash is nice but very dense. Take a LONG time to open up.. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Adirondack spruce.... |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | carbon grafite |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I agree with Paul.
Go with an tried & true tonewood.
There ain't alot of wood there so it better be good.
That figured fancy wood may look good but you don't hear with your eyes.
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(edit)... Beal make a good point, too. |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Bubinga and Ash are both hardwoods, therefore either would be a vastly inferior material than spruce as a top material. As far as I'm aware anytime Ovation used Bubinga or Ash they were on laminated tops, so were cosmetic choices only. There is more than enough low end from the standard Ovation mandocello, and they handle the low C perfectly well. I used Beal's custom carbon-fibre topped mandocello on our US tour in April, and that's probably your best option if you don't want Spruce. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Whatever you choose, make sure it will be something you will really enjoy and serves your specific purpose. Custom guitars are wonderful and unique, but come at a premium, so make sure you include exactly what you want on yours so a few years from now, there will be no regrets. The worst thing you can do is order a custom model based on features that we want. Its all about what you want. There are many members here who wouldn't have the customs I've ordered. Then again, they were built for me, not them. Think hard about what you really want, consider the benefit and value to you personally against the cost, then go for it. It isn't the cheapest route to take, not by a long shot, but you'll then have exactly what you want and you'll never have to look back and say I wish I had done this or hadn't done that. Good luck, and keep us informed of your progress. |
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Joined:
August 2011
Posts: 12
Location: Los Angeles | thanks for all the great advice folks.. reconsidering my bubinga leaning.. maybe a red spruce with bearclaw, if it's available...
still undecided though - i've got a more traditional bodied mandocello coming soon from another luthier, also using adirondack.. i don't mind if the Ovation has a dramatically diff voice.
given that.. what other wood "voices" might sound nice, aside from red spruce? seems the advice i've gotten so far might steer me towards sitka or englemann.. but i'm still open to suggestions.. :) |
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Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | I like the sound of the 07 Collectors (well the one I've played anyway). I don't know if the bear claw spruce has much to do with that, but it looks nice too. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Bear claw spruce is great to look at (if you like stretch marks), but doesn't necessarily make for a better sounding guitar.... |
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Joined:
August 2011
Posts: 12
Location: Los Angeles | i still may go with a spruce.. but what non-spruce tops do folks think might sound good on a mandocello (with the guitar/bass low-C).
i had a chance to play a stock Ovation mando, and it doesn't have the deep rich bottom of a traditional mandocello, although the super-shallow depth might have a lot to do with that (and i'm planning on a mid-depth.).
but ya... still interested in suggestions on top woods :) |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | look at that AAAAA Quilted Maple Top on Patches refurbished guitar that he just posted up!
WOW! |
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advice on a custom top wood
