brownsound
Rookie Solder Flinger
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Post by brownsound on Feb 23, 2009 23:15:36 GMT -5
I have canary wood, 2 pieces. Does canary wood have tone properties of mahagony? Canary is very dense. What type of tones does canary wood offer? Thanks!
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Post by gitpiddler on Feb 24, 2009 1:13:06 GMT -5
Welcome brownsound.
I would suggest tapping on them. If one, for instance, has a deeper sound than the other, put it on the bass side. I've not seen any canary, is the grain similar to mahogany? We love photos of naked tone wood here ;D
May I assume a reference in your handle to VH. He inspired me to modify my first electric, a crappy Telecopy, with the slanted, potted HB screwed into the wood, cut pickguard, and one vol. knob.
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Post by cynical1 on Feb 24, 2009 1:17:27 GMT -5
I have canary wood, 2 pieces. Does canary wood have tone properties of mahagony? Canary is very dense. What type of tones does canary wood offer? Thanks! Greetings brownsound - Welcome to the board. To answer your question, canary wood is slightly harder and heavier then mahogany, but no where near has hard or heavy as purpleheart. It should make for a very nice looking and sounding guitar. As far as tonal qualities go...these are deep waters. Opinions vary and can become the subject of long drawn out dissertations... To be honest, I would be more concerned about how heavy this guitar is going to be versus the inherent tonal qualities of canary wood... If you made a Les Paul out of your wood it would weigh more then the one from Gibson. Let me rub the Tone Nazi's nose into a bit with this. The Heretic's Guide to Alternative Lutherie Woods, by John CalkinIt's a long read, and I would recommend it highly to anyone looking to build a guitar or bass. He makes two very good points to consider. 1.) The tone of a guitar lies more in the hands of the builder than in the materials from which it is constructed. 2.) No one at a blind listening session can reliably distinguish between mahogany and rosewood guitars, or maple and koa guitars... There are so many variables in guitar construction, pickups, wiring designs, the style in which you play...etc...that giving you a definition of canary wood tonal qualities, according to Hoyle, would just be blowing smoke up your....well, you get the idea. So here's the long and short of it. If you have two very nice pieces of canarywood and you want to build a guitar out of it, then go for it. It will be heavy, for sure, but as long as you take your time and do a careful and clean build it will sound great. And, IMHO, canary wood is prettier then mahogany.  This one is for sale at $3795.00 The people that tell you canary wood is a bad choice for tone wood will probably also bash oak as a tone wood. Next time you see Brian May, tell him that the ancient piece of oak he built his guitar from was a really bad choice of tone wood. Build your guitar, have fun, measure twice, cut once and remember to put pictures up here when it's done. Happy Trails Cynical One |
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Post by gitpiddler on Feb 24, 2009 2:18:14 GMT -5
+1 on the builder. Before deciding on pickups, string it up and listen. It'll tell you what frequencies may need to be boosted or cut by the electricals.
Sounds like weight may be a factor, any ideas on which style of body, an SG-type might be a lightweight contender.
Keep us posted.
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Post by cynical1 on Feb 24, 2009 11:15:12 GMT -5
Just thinking out loud here, but chambering is a way around the weight issue with your build wood. The thickness of the pieces you have may make this null and void, or just a non issue. (Example would be flateric use of thinner pieces in his Rick bass build) Another thing to consider is that chambering would also require obtaining one or two pieces to make a cap, if you want the canary wood on the bottom, or a back, if you want the canary wood on top. Normally the chambering is done to the thicker base portion of the body, with the flashier pieces going on top as the cap. There is no law stating you can't use the thicker Canary wood pieces as a chambered top. Examples:  This body has been chamber routed to achieve a more resonant tone. F holes are optional.  This type of routing is more typical for weight reduction. You'd probably want a CNC machine to route this. And if you decide to go with chambering a template is essential. Once your body shape is determined and cut your template is based on this, the pickup types and locations, as well as the bridge type and location. It looks like this:  In the example above the majority of the chamber has been done with a forstner bit. This was probably done here with a drill press. The forstner bit cuts quick and saves the wear and tear on your router bits. They look like this:  Now, depending on the type of music you play, a semi-hollow body guitar might not be the thing you're after. Again, just thinking out loud... Happy Trails Cynical One |
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Post by gitpiddler on Mar 1, 2009 0:36:28 GMT -5
O most cynical1,
I'm intrigued by the top photo. Is that a clear top or a template?
The separation of the string-thru block from the neck/center section is interesting. Only 2 neckbolts?
The guys from Tesla just ate at my neighborhood pizza place ;D
They played the old haunted Bijou theater the next day.
Just thinking out loud when I should be resting for the early church gig.
In love & light, gp
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Post by cynical1 on Mar 1, 2009 22:58:09 GMT -5
I'm intrigued by the top photo. Is that a clear top or a template? The separation of the string-thru block from the neck/center section is interesting. Only 2 neckbolts? My guess would be that it's the template for the top f holes, and bottom string through holes, or it's just there for demonstration purposes. Normally you're not going to route the neck pocket until the top is in place so the two holes at the top are probably there to hold the template in place with screws during routing... Happy Trails Cynical One |
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Post by gitpiddler on Mar 2, 2009 23:27:50 GMT -5
My thoughts exactly, sir.
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