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Thread ID: 113480 2010-10-21 15:30:00 Tell Me About This NZ Tree::::: SurferJoe46 (51) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1146794 2010-10-22 10:26:00 SJ .... it's made of wood :D SP8's (9836)
1146795 2010-10-22 11:09:00 Woo a guitar tone wood debate!

It's generally recognised as a softer tone wood, but also it is noted to be weaker than other certain types of wood . Of course, high grade kauri and low grade agathis are likely to be completely different despite being of the same parent species .

As for the whole tonal qualities thing, it DOES make a difference, thanks to the science of resonance . While in terms of say, an electric guitar through an amp, the difference will be less apparent unless you know what you're looking for, in acoustics it is INCREDIBLY noticeable .

Cheapo acoustics that I have heard have ALWAYS sounded off compared to decent ones . How loud they are, for example, is affected by the wood . If you've got a specially selected wood with a particular resonance range, you'll get a better output of those frequencies .

For example, compare a strat and a les paul . While yes, the whole build idea is different, one being neck through, the other bolt on, one being single coil pickups and blah blah blah, the wood is certainly an important part of their tone .
In the case of a les paul, mahogany is an INCREDIBLY heavy wood (on early pauls, they weigh up to like 13kg or something ridiculous, although they've since started porting them (drilling cavities to lower the weight) and as a result they will have a great amount of sustain while having a greater low-mid range than a strat .

Compare that to their epiphone counterparts, they'll often play similarly, but because of the lower grade materials often used, their sustain will not match and you'll get a few deadened frequencies when you hear them side by side .

For strats, their (ash? maple? i forget) bodies are chosen for a mid-high sound, while having a smaller low range and less sustain .

Similarly to lp's and epiphones, fender has their high range american strats made of their highest grade woods, which aren't agathis, wheras their squier strats are made of lower grade woods, including agathis .
8ftmetalhaed (14526)
1146796 2010-10-22 11:30:00 just pronounce kauri 'coldy' like you pronounce maori 'moldy', use it in context, it works lol mOOseCaNNoN (13319)
1146797 2010-10-22 14:30:00 Woo a guitar tone wood debate!

It's generally recognised as a softer tone wood, but also it is noted to be weaker than other certain types of wood . Of course, high grade kauri and low grade agathis are likely to be completely different despite being of the same parent species .

As for the whole tonal qualities thing, it DOES make a difference, thanks to the science of resonance . While in terms of say, an electric guitar through an amp, the difference will be less apparent unless you know what you're looking for, in acoustics it is INCREDIBLY noticeable .

Cheapo acoustics that I have heard have ALWAYS sounded off compared to decent ones . How loud they are, for example, is affected by the wood . If you've got a specially selected wood with a particular resonance range, you'll get a better output of those frequencies .

For example, compare a strat and a les paul . While yes, the whole build idea is different, one being neck through, the other bolt on, one being single coil pickups and blah blah blah, the wood is certainly an important part of their tone .
In the case of a les paul, mahogany is an INCREDIBLY heavy wood (on early pauls, they weigh up to like 13kg or something ridiculous, although they've since started porting them (drilling cavities to lower the weight) and as a result they will have a great amount of sustain while having a greater low-mid range than a strat .

Compare that to their epiphone counterparts, they'll often play similarly, but because of the lower grade materials often used, their sustain will not match and you'll get a few deadened frequencies when you hear them side by side .

For strats, their (ash? maple? i forget) bodies are chosen for a mid-high sound, while having a smaller low range and less sustain .

Similarly to lp's and epiphones, fender has their high range american strats made of their highest grade woods, which aren't agathis, wheras their squier strats are made of lower grade woods, including agathis .

In a chambered guitar, that's right - but a slab body is an ablative and just channels ranges of frequencies into itself where they are attenuated .

The bridge is the corridor to the wood, and if it's mass dictates that it can resonate in support of a note, then that particular note is channeled to the wood more easily and therefor it is called The Tonal Black Hole to me .

I don't believe that stiffness or stability of a higher-mass bridge is a big factor except for eye-candy .

Since wood is not active and is truly passive, in a slab body it is really only some place to mount the neck and strings and a nice paint job .

Energy flow-wise, the slab body is a one way street .
SurferJoe46 (51)
1146798 2010-10-22 19:49:00 just pronounce kauri 'coldy' like you pronounce maori 'moldy', use it in context, it works lol


That works! :) Just don't stretch the end vowel, or quasi vowel if you are pedantic.
Marnie (4574)
1146799 2010-10-22 21:33:00 Well just comparing the tone and sustain of my guitars, both are basswood, bolt on, rosewood fret board (from memory), and one has a LP style bridge, the other is a floyd rose. The one with the lp style bridge seems to just have a touch more sustain on it, wheras with the FR bridge it lasts but not nearly as long.

They still both sound pretty fantastic though.

Man I need to pick them up again though... haven't played them properly in 2 years.... thanks y13 music.

Also, I always liked getting the gum off kauri trees. Especially the pieces that turn gold and shiny when you cut them, they look similar to a couple of crystals I've got. (I have mistaken them a couple of times)

And I always pronounced it cowree. And maori i call mowree, but sounds more like meowree without the E. Of course I can force the 'proper' pronunciation but don't feel it's important. Tomato tomato.
8ftmetalhaed (14526)
1146800 2010-10-22 23:07:00 From the Kauri Museum in Northland Snorkbox (15764)
1146801 2010-10-22 23:18:00 From the Kauri Museum in Northland

Check out the man-cave!!!!

Do they deliver?
SurferJoe46 (51)
1146802 2010-10-22 23:49:00 Perhaps check out their shop.

www.kauri-museum.com

I have a set of coasters from there certified to be 50,000 years old.

Don't think the man cave is on sale though. :)
Snorkbox (15764)
1146803 2010-10-23 02:36:00 Some of the exhibits,
www.youtube.com
something else that may interest you, SJ.
www.youtube.com
feersumendjinn (64)
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