Odd Topped Acoustic Guitars

[JOYCEfromNS]

Not withstanding the recent interesting discussions of:

Hog Vs Cedar http://www.larriveeforum.com/smf/index.php?topic=33340.0

and Grain Spacing  http://www.larriveeforum.com/smf/index.php?topic=33373.0

Has anyone experienced some really unusual tops for instance I saw an Ovation with a Birds Eye Maple top the other day tho did not have opportunity to play And ST's recent acquisition in Koa tho seemingly more common than Birds eye is not something I see everyday.

Gotta wonder what are the oddest top Larrivee's you have come across

What would a Birds Eye Maple topped Larrivee sound like

If you have an odd top dream what would it be

[AZLiberty]

What would a Birds Eye Maple topped Larrivee sound like

If you have an odd top dream what would it be

a) the finest of Chinese plywood.   

b) redwood.

[ducktrapper]

Speaking of redwood, anyone see this? Kind of cool.

http://www.12fret.com/new/Kwasnycia_000%20Redwood.html

[Dotneck]

John Mayes is building a redwood and brazillian L model. Wow...just wow. Expen$ive but wow.





Here is the Mayes thread about it.

[ducktrapper]

Yeah but that tight grain ...

[L07 Shooting Star]

Has anyone experienced some really unusual tops for instance I saw an Ovation with a Birds Eye Maple top the other day tho did not have opportunity to play And ST's recent acquisition in Koa tho seemingly more common than Birds eye is not something I see everyday.
Gotta wonder what are the oddest top Larrivee's you have come across
What would a Birds Eye Maple topped Larrivee sound like
If you have an odd top dream what would it be

Joyce, taking your subject title at face value, not a Larrivee, but here is a guitar I bought a few years ago at a garage sale for 50 bucks.  It caught my eye, hanging there as I drove by, so I stopped.  The back was separating from the side near the butt end and it had a dent in the back wood.  I repaired it best as I could, me being new at that sort of thing.  I cut out the damaged part and inserted a patch of thin plywood.  Hardest part was trying to match the unusual blue color and wood grain.  I also did a set-up on it and it plays quite nicely now.  The tone is not bad, if not a little thin sounding.  The intonation is really good.  It has a compensated saddle.  In another post about saddles, I mentioned it is too loose which may contribute to the thin tone.  I will eventually make a new saddle for it one of these days.  I use it as my "campfire" or playing on the deck guitar right now, sometimes through a little line 6 spyder amp. I have.

Anyways, the entire guitar's wood has a kind of birdseye look to it that reminds me a lot of a peacock feather.  The entire guitar is stained in a peacock blue.  The top, sides, and back are all laminated as far as I can tell.  In spite of this, the inside layer has the same birdseye grain pattern as the outside layer.

So anyone know what kind of wood this might be?  Anyone have comments on Samick in general, or this Artist Series model?

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[L07 Shooting Star]

some more pics of my "Peacock" Samick Artist guitar.  I have no idea how old this is.  So what kind of wood is this?
Kurt

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[tadol]

Thats kinda pretty - I'd guess Birch burl veneer? Could be maple burl, but between the blue and the lo-res web pics, its hard to be very exact. If you had a pile o' guitars, you definitely'd know which was yours!

[ducktrapper]

There's only a few things that matter. How does it play? How does it sound? Can you make music with it?

[Digdog]

Ah ha ,The very scarce and strange blue Ostrich skin wood from Ulutumbua  Gotnoclue

It is a very unique looking burl more than likely veneer,maple,birch or some other south pacific exotic hardwood.

I've been considering a deep peacock blue /green guitar after seeing Bruce Cockburn earlier this spring playing such a color guitar. Me thinks it was a Manzer.

[AZLiberty]

Here's my blue guitar.  Made from the finest Chinese plywood



Sounds much better than it should for what it is.  It's my "sacrificial" traveling guitar.  I wanted something that sounded decent, but that I would not be heartbroken over if an airline went "United" on me.

[L07 Shooting Star]

There's only a few things that matter. How does it play? How does it sound? Can you make music with it?

Ah ha ,The very scarce and strange blue Ostrich skin wood from Ulutumbua  Gotnoclue
It is a very unique looking burl more than likely veneer,maple,birch or some other south pacific exotic hardwood.
I've been considering a deep peacock blue /green guitar after seeing Bruce Cockburn earlier this spring playing such a color guitar. Me thinks it was a Manzer.

Duck, as I said, it plays pretty well, considering I paid $50.00 for it.  Yes I can make music with it (at least to the extent I can make music).  It's tone is not up to my Larrivee, but it's not horrible.  It's action and intonation are fine.  I like to play it outside on my deck on nice evenings to impress the neighbours and dog walkers who come by our back fence.  I can even get some good rock sounds out of it when I plug it in to my little Spyder amp and switch on the "metal" or "insane" effect settings.

Yes it is definately veneer as I found out when I repaired it.  I was surprised to discover the inner ply has the same figuring as the outer veneer.  Can't imagine what kind of wood it is.  South Pacific is likely since it was made in Korea.  The tag also gives the model number as SW 210 BE/TBL which may be a clue to the wood used or not.  Who knows?  There is no bookmatching going on with the top and it may even be one piece as I can't detect a centre seem in it.  Just thought I'd show it since the thread is about unusual guitar top woods.

Kurt

[Wannabee]

  Speaking of redwood tops,I am on the waiting list of my Friend Mark Mincey,a local Luthier, for a Black Walnut B/S and redwood top 12 fret slothead Dreadnaught.I bet that will really growl. What do you think?
 The walnut came from a big walnut tree that blew over in my sisters yard.And the redwood is from a 100 year old water tank in California.

 Also another odd top,I just bought a NOS Washburn WD18SW whish is all sapele including the top.It is an interesting guitar More punchy and more sustain than mahogany.A beautiful dark color.It is pretty heavy though.It sounds great.It's going to be my Knock around,practice,play outdoors,campfire,travel,loaner guitar.
   Actually I really like sapele. I had both an  L03R and an L03SP (sapele). The L03SP sounded better than the rosewood one. I sold the L03R.

[L07 Shooting Star]

Here's my blue guitar.  Made from the finest Chinese plywood



Sounds much better than it should for what it is.  It's my "sacrificial" traveling guitar.  I wanted something that sounded decent, but that I would not be heartbroken over if an airline went "United" on me.

Everyone should have at least one blue er blues guitar, right?

[ducktrapper]

I dunno. In my opinion there should be no blue food ... and guitars are for blues. 

[Queequeg]

Eastman AR810CE Sapphire Blue

The Man With The Blue Guitar is a 1937 poem by Wallace Stevens (1879 – 1955)
They said, 'You have a blue guitar,
You do not play things as they are.'
The man replied, 'Things as they are
Are changed upon the blue guitar.'

[ducktrapper]

On second thought, I make exceptions when it comes to  electric  guitars . 

[Queequeg]

this is actually a fully acoustic archtop with a floating pickup. I play it unplugged far more than plugged in.

[ducktrapper]

this is actually a fully acoustic archtop with a floating pickup. I play it unplugged far more than plugged in.

Harrumph, you're making it very difficult for me to be funny. Or is it just me?   

[Queequeg]

Harrumph, you're making it very difficult for me to be funny. Or is it just me?   

Well, duck, you need a challenge once in a while, but your sense of humor ("humour"?) is simply indefatigable.
Certainly not to be trumped by a technicality of a floating pickup.
I have a couple other Eastmans both with black Kent Armstrong floaters that seem to visually fade into the fretboard more than this shiny brass thing.
Carry on...