My Cypress Slimline Acoustic Guitar

[G.S. Monroe]

My most recent building project is a "Les Paul" shaped, flat top acoustic slimline.
Built out of Gulf Cypress with Florida raised Mahogany fretboard and bridge, and 3 piece laminated Cypress & Cherry neck.
I've taken it out to the local open mike to show it off, and received much positive feedback.
It sounds great, and is very light weight and well balanced.

Not too bad for my third guitar, and only 8 months of self-education in the luthiery arts.
( Thanks to YouTube and Forums like this one ).

My Cypress Slimline has a C.B.Gitty EQ-7545R pre-amp with rod piezo under bridge saddle.

Beautiful set neck joint, showing the 3 piece Cypress and Cherry laminated neck.

cypress 4.JPG (128.2 KiB) Viewed 4414 times

Nice frontal view of my Cypress Slimline Guitar.

Back view of my Cypress Slimline Guitar, showing nicely book matched cypress grain.

I'm curious though as to why guitar builders are not using more Gulf Cypress as a tone wood.
I started using it simply because of availability, but after doing some research, I find that this wood is closely related to many of the most renown Tone woods in the world. Am I missing something here?

[Simon Magennis]

Definitely very interesting looking. Never heard of that timber before. Before other builders use it, it has to be on the national/international market. There are loads of "local" timbers that make perfectly good instruments but the buying public has only ever heard of maybe half a dozen timbers: ash, mahogony, rosewood, maple, spruce, cedar..... depending on whether it is electric, steelstring or classical.

What kind of bracing pattern did you use? How thick did you make the top?

[G.S. Monroe]

I used a modified ladder type bracing, It's Ladder above the bridge plate, and Fan bracing below. That was to allow room for the F-holes. The top is 3/16" and the F-holes tapered. The wood is fairly common, but not found in the "usual sources". Gulf Cypress is a very close relative to Mediterranean cypress [cypressus sempervirens],Port Orford Cedar (Lawson's Cypress), Alaskan Yellow Cedar (Canadian Cypress), and Western Red Cedar (California Cypress). It is mostly found in Outdoor Furniture such as picnic tables, used as wall paneling & hardwood floors, and in century old southern homes as a construction material. As far as I know, I'm the only one using it to make instruments.

Here is one commercial source...
http://olegeneralstore.com/LumberPrices.html#f

[Michael Lazar]

I've not run across Gulf Cypress before but in looking at your photos it looks as though there it may be more colorful than most "yellow" cypress types. It also appears to have a much wider grain. I would certainly look at it for backs/sides in flamenco guitars.

[G.S. Monroe]

I think the color comes from being submerged in swamp water for untold decades, possibly centuries or more.
The "chemistry" of the river sediments give this wood a different character than if it was fresh cut cypress.
For reference, there is a show called "Axe Men" on the History channel that shows how this wood is recovered by floating barges out of our local waterways.