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Quatersawn vs. Flatsawn hard maple for backs and sides
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 11:56 am
by Glenn Ohman
Is there any advantage (besides stability/looks) that makes QS hard maple better than FS for acoustic guitar backs and sides? I'm having a HARD time trying to find QS hard maple.
Glenn
Re: Quatersawn vs. Flatsawn hard maple for backs and sides
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 12:34 pm
by Mario Proulx
None whatsoever. The only way to get true quilt or bird's eye figure is flat sawn, and flame/tiger is from quartersawn. Both have been used for countless instruments....
Re: Quatersawn vs. Flatsawn hard maple for backs and sides
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 4:11 pm
by Alan Carruth
I've seen lots of older birdseye guitars, and very few, if any, without meandering cracks in the back, and maybe even the sides.
Hard maple is less popular for carved back instruments than soft, and so it's not cut specifically for our needs as often. It's not hard to find curly hard maple, but quartered hard maple with or without figure is not nearly as common. You might try Northwind Tonewoods; he cuts maple here in New Hampshire, and supplies some of the manufacturers.