Help me pick the top for my new guitar

[jdsmodulus]

Enough with the "Jerry Face" and dancing bear stuff, really Vic. Just go with what you want, obviously its that one. Im sure the guitar will be cool.

[NashvilleMike]

I have an end table made from a piece of redwood burl. I always though it would have made a nice body but it's only 1" thick. Just to give you more to think about Vic.

[Griz]

Vic,

My vote - The spalted maple - it is a truly unique piece, especially with the flamed edges....

Only thing with spalt is that it can be soft in areas, and tear out easily when working it.
With Scott doing the build this should be minimized.
I have no doubt that you respect your equipment and this shouldnt be an issue in the long run.
With the harder wood around the edges, it shouldn't ding as easily.

The maple, while a beautiful piece, has been done.

The resulting tone shouldn't be an issue, since you have the PhD in tweakology with the Axe rig.

[broesau]

My vote is for the redwood. You hardly ever see one and I think the spalted is just too busy.

[SarnoMusicSolutions]

Tone is what matters over appearance. That's why I vote for a maple top. Redwood may sound weird as a top wood. Great to look at though!


Brad

[Jon S.]

That splated maple top is stunning. Truly one of a kind. If you don't use it, sell it to me.

[jackr]

Tone is what matters over appearance. That's why I vote for a maple top. Redwood may sound weird as a top wood. Great to look at though!


Brad

Redwood is a great top tonally. It sounds a lot like maple but a bit warmer and more resonant. If you see the guitar in this thread I sold had a fantastic tone.

Here is a nice summary of tonewoods I found online a while back

http://www.bothner.co.za/articles/bodywoods.shtml

[SarnoMusicSolutions]

That's cool to know. I had a redwood back maple top guitar. The redwood seemed VERY lightweight and airy, and just didn't seem to me that it would be a dense enough top wood and may sound too mellow or unfocused in the treble. But I trust your opinion. I was just guessing based on the guitar I had.

The burled redwood was one of the most beautiful woods I've seen.

Check this out. It clearly backs up what you say:

http://www.imagineguitars.com/guitars/n ... oodash.htm


Brad