Baguette a écrit :
très bien mais ça c'est un autre problème.moi je critique les cèpes qui crachent sur les bois non classiques (et qui seraient surement très heureux d'avoir une gratte en acajou de merde plutôt qu'une en bon sapele)
Je ne sais pas ce que c'est que des bois "non classiques"....
Faudra nous dire ce que c'est qu'un "acajou de merde" ?
En tout cas, ne cherche pas, tu vas perdre ton temps. Il y a environ deux cent variétés recencées d'acajou. La densité de chacune de ces variétés ainsi que leur dureté induit des propriétés acoustiques légèrement différentes d'une variété à l'autre. Un bel acajou du honduras sonne evidemment bien mieux qu'un bon sapelle. çà ne se discute pas sauf pour ceux qui n'ont jamais joué ces types de guitares. Harmoniques bien plus riches, son beaucoup moins sec, moins "poppy" sur le honduran que sur le sapelle. A titre d'info, l'acajou utilisé aujourd'hui par Martin est péruvien. Belle lurette que ce n'est plus du honduran. Pour trouver du chouette, direction le luthier ( Franch Cheval, Quequiner n'en a pas, peut être Benoit de B (?) ) ou Collings, Merrill, Santa Cruz, vieilles Martin, etc.
Personne ne crache ici et la cueillette des champignons est terminée depuis belle lurette.
Bigfatbilly
P.S : allez ! un p'tit article à lire pour ceux que çà intéresse, écrit par le luthier John Arnold (!!!!) paru sur l'UMGF.
>>>(1) Is Spanish Cedar equal to Mahogany in terms of structural integrity & durabilty?<<<
Structural integrity...No. Here are the numbers, compared to Bigleaf Mahogany:
Strength.....68-95%
Stiffness.....67-97%
Hardness.....61-75%
Density.....75-96%
The low numbers are for Cedrela odorata.
The higher numbers are for Cedrela oaxancensis. It is a harder wood, but much less common than Cedrela odorata.
If you mean hardness when you say durability, then see the hardness comparison above.
The term 'durability' applied to wood generally describes its resistance to rot when exposed to the elements. In that regard, SPC is unparallelled.
>>>(2) What % does it cost in comparison to mahogany...e.g. if mahogany costs $100, how much does Spanish Cedar go for?<<<
About $75.
>>>(3) While it has been mentioned that earlier Martins utilized Spanish Cedar necks, was it a builder's choice based on the lower tension requirements of gut strings?<<<
In Martin's case, probably not. Martin switched to mahogany long before they started building steel string guitars. But some classical guitar builders do prefer SPC because of the lighter weight. A lot of those guitars also have an ebony laminate in the center of the neck for added stiffness.
>>>(4) Going back to query #1, how does the density & hardness of Spanish Cedar compare with mahogany in terms of retaining hardware? <<<
It's a softer wood, so it cannot be expected to retain hardware as well. Tuner screws would be particularly affected. That said, I have seen plenty of early Martins without problems in that regard.
>>>(5) Realistically, are there any noteworthy tonal differences or variations between the two woods when utilized as neck material?<<<
Since the stiffness will be determined by the tightness of the truss rod, I doubt that that will be an issue.
The lighter weight will give similar results to those ebony-bar wartime Martins. Lightweight necks generally give a warmer, livelier sound, with a definite swell on the attack. The disadvantage is usually a reduction in sustain and sharpness of attack, but that isn't necessarily bad. I usually like guitars with lightweight necks. The difference in weight is probably less than the difference between heavy enclosed tuners with metal buttons and open tuners with ivoroid or ebony buttons. The mahogany in a neck weighs about 10 ounces. That means that a SPC neck would weigh about 2 ounces less.
As a comparison:
Martin adjustable truss rod = 5 ounces
Martin tee bar = 5 1/2 ounces
Ebony bar = 2 3/4 ounces
John
