wood choice for sound board on Weissenborn style.

Ask your wood and other materials questions here. Please DO NOT post pictures and ask us to identify your wood, we have found that accurate ID is nearly impossible, and such discussions will be deleted. Thanks.
Post Reply
Bob Howell
Posts: 234
Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2012 4:23 am
Location: Atlanta, GA

wood choice for sound board on Weissenborn style.

Post by Bob Howell »

Making this as my first guitar.
Ribs will be Sapele and back can be sapele, figured maple or walnut, mix with rosewood strip. Several options.

I have resawed flat sawed maple and walnut. I have quarter sawed walnut and sapele and stika spruce.

The top can be mix of walnut and sapele or stika spruce.

Over the years I have seen discussions about relative stiffness of back and top. Don't see them now. Started this project in 2011 by cutting the wood then put it on hold as life got hectic.

What are thoughts out there?

Bob
Brian Evans
Posts: 922
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2014 8:26 am
Location: Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia

Re: wood choice for sound board on Weissenborn style.

Post by Brian Evans »

Weissenborn guitars traditionally had hardwood tops, I think mostly koa and mahogany. I think of koa and mahogany as being very similar and suitable as top woods, and the same with sapele. I am not as sure about walnut as a top wood. Sitka spruce is always an excellent choice for top wood. If I were to rate your choices, it would be the spruce, then the sapele and walnut or a mix of walnut/sapele last.
Bob Howell
Posts: 234
Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2012 4:23 am
Location: Atlanta, GA

Re: wood choice for sound board on Weissenborn style.

Post by Bob Howell »

Back in 2010-12 I followed a number of threads about wood used for Weissenborn tops. I can't find them now but several were experimenting with sapele and spruce. Even domestic hardwoods. I am wondering how they came out.
Todd Stock
Posts: 394
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2012 7:57 pm

Re: wood choice for sound board on Weissenborn style.

Post by Todd Stock »

I've built khaya (aka, african mahogany) Weiss's and they look/sound great. If you can resaw, khaya is fairly cheap, available in vertical grain, wide boards, and works about as well as South American mahogany. High Mountain Tonewoods was processing spruce soundboards for Weissenborn instruments a few years ago - could always ask them about a set if you want to go with softwood top.
Bob Howell
Posts: 234
Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2012 4:23 am
Location: Atlanta, GA

Re: wood choice for sound board on Weissenborn style.

Post by Bob Howell »

I Have sapele and I may have walnut if my efforts to re saw several slabs pan out. I did not think of khaya and bought more sapele to re saw.

I lean toward a hard wood top.
Post Reply

Return to “Wood and Materials Q&A”