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 Discussion Forums
 Luthiers' Corner
 Sycamore as tonewood? (Page 2)
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| Author | Topic: Sycamore as tonewood? |
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FrankB2 Member |
posted 02-20-2004 08:19 AM
   
Fantastic Paul! Is that one of your guitars?? Frank |
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Paul Hostetter Member |
posted 02-20-2004 03:07 PM
It is indeed my SCGC Model H of a 13-fret persuasion. There's a link earlier in this thread to a page of photos of it and others from the vaunted Batch of Fifteen. This sycamore is about as light a "hardwood" as one could imagine using to build a guitar. It's doing extremely well, neck and all (some folks had their doubts!). The other varieties should all work. Platanus orientalis is not a native at all. Its native range extends from Asia Minor to Iran, and the hybrid of that tree and P. occidentalis (the true eastern US sycamore) resulted in, by some accounts, the London Plane we see planted so extensively in the US and elsewhere (like London and western Michigan). Whatever the species or provenance, if it’s well-chosen and seasoned properly, it should work fine. |
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misterchambo Member |
posted 02-20-2004 04:26 PM
Paul, I have certainly admired the visual beauty and uniqueness of your sycamore siren... What can you tell me/us about the tonal qualities of this gorgeous guitar? |
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RickDavis Member |
posted 02-20-2004 08:11 PM
I've been building with sycamore (American, from PA) for about 10 years. In smaller-bodied guitars, it seems to have a lot of the sweetness of mahogany but with more punch. There are lots of little secrets to getting the most out of it, but in general it's a forgiving and easy wood to work. I've heard that O. Gibson made some guitars out of sycamore but never located any, or even any reliable references to them. Perhaps Paul H. or someone has more info? |
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Paul Hostetter Member |
posted 02-22-2004 12:42 PM
The tonal qualities of this gorgeous guitar are succinct, as I am just taking a break from having played it for about the last hour and a half. It’s like a really old guitar, warm and fat and soft, rather like a slightly punchier version of my ’33 Nick Lucas with the short scale. There are numerous differences to account for this, among them the longer scale (punch), and the redwood top, which I think largely accounts for the old sound. Redwood lacks the snap of either spruce or cedar. And Rick, I have never seen an Orville-era instrument in sycamore, though it wouldn’t surprise me that some existed, since the western Michigan forests had lots of sycamore. What I see most often is walnut (especially in the one-piece bodied mandolins), cherry and birch. I just worked on a slightly post-Orville A mandolin this week with a cherry neck, birch sides and walnut back! |
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Charles Freeborn Member |
posted 02-22-2004 01:40 PM
I am continually awed by the breadth of knowlege of this community, as well as the lutherie expertise. That California Sycamore is something else, sort of looks like Lacewood on steroids. I'll have to track down some and give it a try. By the way, the English Sycamore supplier I know also calls it "Harewood". Go figure, or maybe ask a turtle? -C |
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Paul Hostetter Member |
posted 02-23-2004 12:45 PM
Go ask the turtle about the history of "harewood," which was once the description for figured maple that was culled and sold to the furniture-making veneer trade. A couple of centuries of befuddlement and now any and all domestic English maple not otherwise called sycamore is called harewood, whether it has any figure or not. |
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