I think there may be a correlation between the working properties of a given
timber and the perceived sonic possibilities it has to offer. When I think
of European beech, the interesting shimmer of a freshly planed surface comes
to mind, whereas North American beech has a certain ropiness to its fibres.
Pearwood is silky. It's buttery under a knife blade, almost waxy.
The subject of "alternative" woods is almost a moot point when it comes to
lute construction. Given the amount of time and effort it takes to construct
an instrument, as makers we tend to stick with the tried and true. A
conservative clientele has something to do with this as well. It's difficult
to find a player interested in funding an experiment with unknown outcome.
Carbon-fibre bowls might be sonically superior but it's my guess that they
wouldn't be readily accepted. In fact, there are any number of ways to make
a lute louder, brighter, more "playable" but by adopting them we move away
from what it is a lute is meant to be in the context of historical music
perspective.
Just what a lute is constructed from might have less impact on tone than we
can reliably demonstrate. It's almost depressing to be part of a
double-blind listening experiment involving classical guitars using
different body woods. One realizes quickly that musicians and builders alike
have almost no ability to pick out their own instrument from the field, let
alone the difference between Brazilian rosewood and mahogany. The playing
experience involves more than the sum of an instrument's parts.
The use of
----- Original Message -----
From: "James Jackson" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 11:19 AM
Subject: [LUTE-BUILDER] Re: Confession
I love beech!
I made a beech pegbox - it's perfect to withstand the twisting and side
to side motions, particularly on a bass or treble rider. I think beech
would be fantastic for a bowl too, sound should have a nice quick
attack with some warmth too.
As for pearwood - Believe it or not, I have an acoustic guitar with
pear back and sides.
On 14 May 2012 14:55, Alexandros Tzimeros <[1][email protected]>
wrote:
So, it's not so "out of the question" as I thought. I never see
beech wood listed among the woods
for lute bowls and I always wondered why. I have an Oud made of
beech wood and the sound is beautiful.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Day"
<[2][email protected]>
To: "Yaron Naor" <[3][email protected]>
Cc: "Alexandros Tzimeros" <[4][email protected]>;
<[5][email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 2:41 PM
Subject: [LUTE-BUILDER] Re: Confession
I just bought some beech for making pegboxes from a local sawyer
and I
have to say I also love it. I bet it would perform like maple but I
think it is nicer to work with. The only problem is availability.
It
isn't on the US lumber market anymore since it was pretty well
logged
out a century ago, but fortunately trees still exist and are
occasionally logged by small operations. If it is available I would
use
it. No confession necessary!
On Mon, May 14, 2012 at 7:20 AM, Yaron Naor
<[1][6][email protected]>
wrote:
Congatulations!
Maybe you will discover that the beech wood is better for bowl
making
and you will get a better sound...
Take care
Yaron Naor
On Mon, May 14, 2012 at 1:11 PM, Alexandros Tzimeros
<[1][2][7][email protected]> wrote:
A Hi dear all,
A After discussing about pear wood in lute making, I'd like
to
confess
A something...
A - I love beech wood and I'm seriously thinking to use it
for
a
bowl.
A Phew! I said it.
A Any comments please?
A --
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