Hemlock for guitar tops

Subject: RE: Hemlock for guitar tops
From: GUEST,Musket
Date: 10 Mar 16 - 03:45 AM

I'd be asking questions about how a given timber reacts to humidity changes myself. Here in The UK, you get little variation and what there is is slow to change, hence very few people buy humidifiers for their guitars whilst they are far more common in The USA.

My gut instinct with tops (I'm not a luthier but used to design vibratory equipment for industry and wrote of guitar design in comparable terms for my doctoral thesis) is that a good straight grain allows transmission as opposed to overall deflection. However, the success with Koa and other knotty swirly timber tops makes me back away somewhat from this stance. A guitar builder in the next village whose latest offerings usually get played in by me (as well as having built me a stunner) has just completed a mahogany guitar and the top, as well as the rest, can only be described as "quilted." Two weeks old and sounds so good already I may grab it before it hits his sales stock. (Reiner Guitars.)

Just one more thought regarding underside of top, back and sides. The rougher the finish the more surface area to dampen sound waves. Ditto pitch of fibres. I reckon the finish inside is as important as the choice of timber. Cheaper guitars with ply back and sides are also generally less well finished hence quieter. Big name guitars with a ply back n sides range (Martin X, Taylor 1., etc) are good sounders. Why? I reckon the internal finish is an important factor.

I''m fascinated by the subject and have sent a link to this thread to my friend. He only uses spruce and mahogany for tops as cedar gives him a rash when working with it. I mentioned hemlock and that got him thinking...

Subject: RE: Hemlock for guitar tops
From: GUEST,Greg Niederhaus
Date: 10 Mar 16 - 02:21 AM

I am a woodworker from USA based in Taiwan and am making my first guitar. For the soundboard I have got a choice between Japanese Cyprus or Chinese Hemlock. Both are quarter sawn with super tight upright year rungs. Steel string acoustic, as I emulate from the book "Guitar Making, Tradition and Technology". As Jeurgen points out, Sitka is recommended. Planing to use a dense heavy wood called Lychee grown locally with Bamboo sides and Walnut back. Any input, fellows?

Subject: RE: Hemlock for guitar tops
From: Bert
Date: 29 Jul 14 - 01:51 AM

If you adjust the thickness and bracing, I am sure that you could use pretty much any wood for a guitar top. But why would you go to the trouble when spruce is tried and true?

Subject: RE: Hemlock for guitar tops
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Jul 14 - 11:14 PM

Looking with google, even Martin has tried it, and several makers have used it on mandolins and even violas.

I know nothing about it, but it seems that some knowledgeable people have used it.

Subject: RE: Hemlock for guitar tops
From: GUEST,Juergen
Date: 28 Jul 14 - 08:48 PM

Just finished an auditorium sized steel string guitar with a hemlock top and Padouk back and sides. Very loud and responsive. Seems similar to Sitka the stiffer the top , the better but also depends a lot on how heavy or light you brace. To me it sounds pretty good.

Subject: RE: Hemlock for guitar tops
From: ThreeSheds
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 12:09 PM

I saw the pallet guitar at an exhibition in Birmingham recently it was rather impressive to see what can be done with waste. I dont think enough thought is given to alternative tonewood materials or is it down to us and customer prejudice

Subject: RE: Hemlock for guitar tops
From: Cluin
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 10:42 AM

Might be better for a guitar back & sides, but hey, I'd give it a try for the top too, if it's good quality (no flaws, etc). Who knows? Taylor has probably used hemlock for their famous "Pallet Guitar" series.

Subject: RE: Hemlock for guitar tops
From: JohnB
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 10:32 AM

I saw some 1/4" thick quarter sawn Hemlock a couple of years ago. It was only about 5 or 6 inches wide though about 4 foot long. It very definitely said Dulcimer to me. I unfortunately was not listening at the time and did not buy it. Regret it to the day and if I ever see it again, hopefuly won't be so stupid. Give it a try.
JohnB

Subject: RE: Hemlock for guitar tops
From: DonMeixner
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 12:00 AM

Hemlock when dry becomes very brittle. The grain structure is two diferent colors as you know. Light soft grain and very hard darker grain. I think you may find the soft grain to be too soft and the top will tend to split there.

This was the case with some very dry radial sawn floor board in my home. The boards where 6" by 5/4" full thickness and if they where in the house when it was built (1854) they split out overtime.

Now I know you are thinking "150 years, what the hell is he whining about?"

I'm not whining, I just wanted you to know the stuff just isn't very dependable.

Don

Subject: RE: Hemlock for guitar tops
From: freightdawg
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 10:45 PM

It depends on if you intend to play killer music on it.

(Okay, I'm leaving)

Freightdawg

Subject: Hemlock for guitar tops
From: ThreeSheds
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 05:17 PM

Any luthiers out there

I'm currently using canadian hemlock for making some window frames some of it is quarter sawn and has a fabulously tight grain structure and it seems to me that this timber deserves a better fate.
I have for quite some time toyed with the idea of building a few guitars but have never had enough free time this situation might resolve itself soon. So I was wondering if anyone had any experiance of using hemlock for a guitar top