[Jenn]

In article .com,
"Bret Ludwig" wrote:

Jenn wrote:

Jenn wrote:

OK, OK, so I still have a bit of G.A.S.

Could you experts please offer a comparison between the sound of
sapele
vs. the sound of maple? The guitars for both are the Martin OMC
16E.

I only wish I understood your post.

What is G.A.S ?

Graham

Opps! Wrong group! It was meant for a guitar group. G.A.S. stands
for
"Gear Acquisition Syndrome", which some say is cured by F.A.R.T
(Frequent Application of Retail Transactions). ;-)

Um, why not go for rosewood, or other well-known tonewoods, for the
back and sides?

I already have a beautiful instrument in rosewood. As my playing ahs
taken me in the "solo fingerstyle" direction (a la Juber, Emmanuel,
Atkins, et al) I'm looking for an instrument that will offer an
additional tone color for the palate.




If they aren't working cash flow building toolss,

It is in this case.

I think now is not
the time to be buying guitars. The prices are artificially high because
of our debt fueled false prosperity economy and when that crashes a LOT
of very fine musical instruments will become very much cheaper.

But to answer your question, I know nothing of sapele, it was a wood
not at all in use until recently.

Sapele is a substitute for mahogany.... looks quite similar, very
similar tonal qualities.

Rosewood, mahogany, and maple are the
traditional steel string guitar woods.

Of course. I have a really superior rosewood instrument, a Larrivee.

D'Angelico and D'Aquisto NEVER
used rosewood! For whatever that's worth... Maple offers the best
"contrast" with rosewood tonally, mahogany guitars seem to record the
easiest. Koa and walnut I have some experience with as well. Since
sapele is little known, it will be tough to resell.

I have mixed feelings about CF Martin. Martin continued to make
guitars with known design flaws until they were virtually forced to
change, and they put the Martin name on some very mickey mouse
guitars-Formica backs and sides!-in the last decade or so. Still, a
good Martin is a good guitar. To say otherwise is nonsense.

I had always stayed away from Martins because I wasn't a big fan of the
sound of the "finger-style sized" instruments, especially for the money.
But based on this recent shopping, I think that things have radically
improved on this front. I bought an OMC 16E Premium yesterday, and I
think that I'm going to be very happy with it as my second guitar. I'll
probably use it a lot in my teaching of large guitar classes. My
Larrivee is just a little "precious" for large class/everyday use
situations.


My recommendation: Whichever you decide, buy some wood from a local
hardwood supplier or architectural salvage house, clean it up, and put
it in your clothes closet. If you ever decide to have a guitar made,
you will have some wood to do it with and then some. No guitar magazine
will tell you that, but it's the best response to the wood situation
there is. I dragged my grandmother's stinky battered old furniture home
after she died, and the top of the old walnut bedroom table, which one
of my aunts was born on and which my grandfather shot with a .357 years
later "by accident" -three times-is now backs and sides for two parlor
guitars, a stock and forend for a duck gun, and the body of a P-bass.
And I've got enough left for some knobs for a electronic project or
two. I've got a library card catalog that's going to end up as
Telecaster bodies in my garage too.

Interesting thought; thanks!