Unique soundboards

[Jules93]

Have no idea whether it’s been done or not cause there are so many posts that are hard to keep track of anyway here it goes.

This is a post id like to dedicate to uncommon soundboards, results, spec’s, tap tones and questions?
The world of luthiery is experimenting more and more considering how expensive woods are and lots of the originals are beginning to become endangered so time to break out of traditionalism
To begin with I’ll start with a question

We all know Queensland maple has been used for back and sides for ages however
Has anyone used it for a soundboard?

As far as the main topic
All woods a welcome wether woods from old pallets, reclaimed wood from old houses or furniture, MDF, furniture grade plywood, multi species top eg, I’ve seen a half spruce half cedar. Sky’s the limit.

[kiwigeo]

MDF?

[TallDad71]

It would be interesting to hear of projects I agree. I wonder if you could build a jig including a reusable body and a neck, onto which you could place different sound boards.

I sure as hell wouldn’t want to go to all the effort and months required to build something with low quality materials, just for the lols.

[TomBicknell]

Pratley Guitars use Queensland maple as a top wood quite a bit in combination with Queensland maple back and sides (and interchangeably with maple silkwood, which is very similar).

I had a brief chat with Martin Pratley at the Melbourne Guitar Show earlier in the year and asked him about it, and he said it worked great, and was pretty similar to an all mahogany guitar. He was mystified why more people weren’t using it as a soundboard.