Australian cedar?
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sebastiaan56
- Blackwood
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- Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:23 am
- Location: Blue Mountains
Australian cedar?
Has anyone used Aussie Cedar? Ive acquired a nice figured piece and am not sure whether the top or the back / sides would be the best use,
make mine fifths........
I've used it on 2 instruments. One 000 with tassie blackwood back and sides. The other my PJ model with Qld. Walnut back and sides.
I love it as a tone wood. It's also the first one that people pick up whenever there are a few displayed. It has a nice warm tone, without a lot of overtones. The people that play jazz that have played a few of my guitars have picked it as their first choice.
It doesn't sound like much when it's not braced, but comes alive once it is. It's also pretty easy to work with, as it doesn't ding up like softer woods do. I've also used it as a neck wood on the tassie black wood guitar. You will have to use carbon fiber rods to stiffen it up though.
It has huge pores to fill, so that's going to take some work, but I would grab every piece that I could get my hands on that is suitable for either necks or tops. I don't have a clue on how it would work as a back and side wood.
It's of the Toonis family, and apparently it's a favorite tone wood for sitars.
You can have a look through my website for images of the two guitars that I've used it on.
I love it as a tone wood. It's also the first one that people pick up whenever there are a few displayed. It has a nice warm tone, without a lot of overtones. The people that play jazz that have played a few of my guitars have picked it as their first choice.
It doesn't sound like much when it's not braced, but comes alive once it is. It's also pretty easy to work with, as it doesn't ding up like softer woods do. I've also used it as a neck wood on the tassie black wood guitar. You will have to use carbon fiber rods to stiffen it up though.
It has huge pores to fill, so that's going to take some work, but I would grab every piece that I could get my hands on that is suitable for either necks or tops. I don't have a clue on how it would work as a back and side wood.
It's of the Toonis family, and apparently it's a favorite tone wood for sitars.
You can have a look through my website for images of the two guitars that I've used it on.
I think it would make an excellent top timber for a steel string if you could find a bit that is well enough quartered. Alternately, I suspect it would work well for the back and sides for a flamenco guitar.
Ultimately with Aust cedar you will have to make the call yourself because it would be one of the most variable timbers there is. It is a nightmare trying to match a replacement part when restoring antique furniture. The stuff from NSW is much different from the cedar from northern Qld, I’v used some from NSW that was almost as soft as WRC and some from OLD that was much firmer than Sitka spruce. I have a heap here that I salvaged from a couple of 110 year-old French doors, fantastic timber. The hard grain lines are almost as thick as the soft ones and it is very firm across the grain (unlike western red cedar). In strength and spring (for want of a better word) it is a little stronger and springier than yellow cedar (from Canada), which was the best match of the soft timbers I had to compare it with. I’m going to use some of it as bracing on a port orford top because it feels right and I couldn’t find any port orford locally for bracing timber.
I know that Allen has used it as a top on one of the guitars he posted on the site.
Hope that helps
James
Ultimately with Aust cedar you will have to make the call yourself because it would be one of the most variable timbers there is. It is a nightmare trying to match a replacement part when restoring antique furniture. The stuff from NSW is much different from the cedar from northern Qld, I’v used some from NSW that was almost as soft as WRC and some from OLD that was much firmer than Sitka spruce. I have a heap here that I salvaged from a couple of 110 year-old French doors, fantastic timber. The hard grain lines are almost as thick as the soft ones and it is very firm across the grain (unlike western red cedar). In strength and spring (for want of a better word) it is a little stronger and springier than yellow cedar (from Canada), which was the best match of the soft timbers I had to compare it with. I’m going to use some of it as bracing on a port orford top because it feels right and I couldn’t find any port orford locally for bracing timber.
I know that Allen has used it as a top on one of the guitars he posted on the site.
Hope that helps
James
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ozziebluesman
- Blackwood
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sebastiaan56
- Blackwood
- Posts: 1283
- Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:23 am
- Location: Blue Mountains
Thanks guys,
The pieces I have are skirting boards from a 130yo sea captains cabin in Birchgrove on the harbour in Sydney. Then quite coincidentally I found a piece at a local timber merchant a few days later. I didnt think it was being harvested any more......
It has a lovely bell like tap tone, runs out at the edges and is dark in colour. But there is some loverly shimmering figure there and it would make a stunning looking soundboard. Great sound but not as soft as WRC for sure.
Take your point about pore filling Allen, but then with my 2do list nothing much is going to happen with it for a few months anyway.
The pieces I have are skirting boards from a 130yo sea captains cabin in Birchgrove on the harbour in Sydney. Then quite coincidentally I found a piece at a local timber merchant a few days later. I didnt think it was being harvested any more......
It has a lovely bell like tap tone, runs out at the edges and is dark in colour. But there is some loverly shimmering figure there and it would make a stunning looking soundboard. Great sound but not as soft as WRC for sure.
Take your point about pore filling Allen, but then with my 2do list nothing much is going to happen with it for a few months anyway.
make mine fifths........
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