Linings (Kerfings)

[ScottC.]

Hello, I am ordering a guitar kit from LMI and choices for linings are:
Basswood
Mahogany
Spruce
Western Red Cedar
which of these do you think will work best for top and/or bottom linings for a classical guitar with a Engelmann spruce top and East Indian B/S?
Thanks

[Tod Gilding]

Hi Mate I believe it is a classical guitar Kit that you are buiding , The best linings are the heavier denser timbers for a greater mechanical impedance mismatch, so from the choice that you have there I would go for Mahogany

Cheers

[ScottC.]

Thanks Tod, would that be Mahogany for top and back both?

[Tod Gilding]

Both mate, Side mass is our friend

[ScottC.]

Thanks Tod!

[jeffhigh]

Mahogany will look best with the rosewood, and is a little more resistant to chipping out when notching for braces.

[Tod Gilding]

Not sure how those kits come but if you have any rosewood offcuts from the back and or sides you could consider laminating these offcuts as oversized linings as well as the Mahogany between the soundboard and sides.

[ScottC.]

Not sure how those kits come but if you have any rosewood offcuts from the back and or sides you could consider laminating these offcuts as oversized linings as well as the Mahogany between the soundboard and sides.

I believe they come with pieces big enough to have extra, what would be the advantage to oversized linings? ( I am new to guitar building!)

[Tod Gilding]

The oversized linings will help to ensure that impedance mismatch that I mentioned,reflecting the wave energy back to the top rather than losing it to the sides.

[ScottC.]

Thanks, I'll pursue that idea farther.