Wide Grain vs. Tight Grain

[EvilTwin]

I stopped by a local shop here at work (Make 'n Music in Frederick, MD) and played a used Seagull S6 dread. It had -- by far -- the widest grain of any top I've seen on any Seagull (plus it was wavy with run out), and it sounded great. The only guitars in the room that could touch it were GS Taylors for $1,800 (the only Taylor I seem to like).

 

Jean Larrivee got a lot of flack for saying that "tight grain sounds terrible" (http://www.acousticguitar.com/article/default.aspx?articleid=22267), but I'm starting to believe.

 

What do you folks think?

[Gary Palmer]

Each slab has to be taken for what it is as some of the most astounding sounding instruments made have what would normally be considered lousy graining. There's more than one way to skin a cat and the same can be said of grain patterns and how soundboard thickness and bracing can be adjusted to suit.

[EvilTwin]

Each slab has to be taken for what it is as some of the most astounding sounding instruments made have what wold normally be considered lousy graining. There's more than one way to skin a cat and the same can be said of grain patterns and how soundboard thickness and bracing can be adjusted to suit.

 

 

This seems to be the consensus in voting right now, too.

[fmw]

Also I'll mention that the mystery about how the performance of the 17th century Cremona violins appears to have been solved. They've been able to recreate everything about those guitars except for the wood. Apparently, they were made during a cool climatic cycle when the trees grew more slowly and, therefore, had tighter grain. Those trees have died and been replaced in warmer times with newer, faster growing more open grained trees. So the violin people would vote for tight grain all other things being equal. I doubt all other things are ever equal, however.

[ChiyoDad]

Eric Schoenberg wrote something about this matter in his Guitar Notes.

 

It's not the grain. It's not the wood. It's how the whole package is put together.

[meandi]

 

Eric Schoenberg wrote something about this matter in his Guitar Notes . It's not the grain. It's not the wood. It's how the whole package is put together.

 

 

bob benedetto, i guess, agrees.

has a picture in his book of a "test?" guitar that was built with a flat sawn construction grade 2x10 pine plank for the top plate...knots & all.

says it "sounds as good as any made from expensive tonewoods." (page

6...guitar serial #29293.

[mister natural]

I was taught (by Stan at Elderly)that consistent grain was most important for the top to resonate evenly

 

The same vein width at the center joint as at the edge of the lower bout : consistent

 

I'm not sayin' it's scientific fact but . . .

[moctzal]

I think density and consistency are more important than grain width.

Just my opinion...

[Gary Palmer]

 

I was taught (by Stan at Elderly)that consistent grain was most important for the top to resonate evenly The same vein width at the center joint as at the edge of the lower bout : consistent I'm not sayin' it's scientific fact but . . .

 

 

Tops need to resonate at different frequencies and this is where the use of particular bracing patterns and styles comes into play. A steel strung instrument with grain of irregular size can have every bit as much tonal qaulity as one with narrow straight grain and grain size isn't as critical, whereas it's more preferable for a classical guitar to have narrow straight grain due to its lighter bracing.

 

There are so many schools of thought on the merits of grain size and structure, but the above paragraph tends to hold true regardless of standpoint.

[kimona]

My A&L all-cedar had the widest, waviest grain I have ever seen on any guitar; it was truly an eye-catcher with stunning emotional sound quality. I just sold it (and I have a few other guitars for sale) because I'm planning to go for an under $1K Seagull.

[EvilTwin]

 

My A&L all-cedar had the widest, waviest grain I have ever seen on any guitar; it was truly an eye-catcher with stunning emotional sound quality. I just sold it (and I have a few other guitars for sale) because I'm planning to go for an under $1K Seagull.

 

 

I was lucky enough to play a Maritime series Mini Jumbo (spruce top version) last night (two shops in two nights, what can I say?), and it was spectacular. About $670, and well worth it. I think it might have had a pickup in it; don't remember exactly because I played quite a few 'Gulls and Guilds. I used to think I'd only be interested in sub-$500 Seagulls, but their newer ones have upped the ante. They are very, very nice.

 

Something I just remembered about grain run out...good article:

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/General/Glossary/Runout/runout.html

[picothinker]

There's interesting info here about Chladni patterns. This encompasses the bracing, the resonance of a top, the wood, and many other factors. Look on down on the page, where they compare a handmade German 1870 violin to a modern Chinese mass-manufactured one. The guitar tops are here.