Rippled sycamore

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Got a slab of rippled sycamour any one used it as an electric guitar body?
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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547
    no reason you can't. Sycamore is another of those silly wood names but i guess you mean European sycamore

    European sycamore is part of the Acer (maple) family, but sounds a bit warmer than the american maples we are used to using in guitars

    If its an american sycamore then it will be a Planatus (Plane).   a very differnet wood, but still great for guitars.


    This is american sycamore, sold over here as London Plane or lacewood when it looks like this



    This is european sycamore

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  • 4xv4xv Frets: 49
    Yes it's of the European variety it's not overly rippled but nice I have a nice piece of flame maple to use as a top cap as well. Thanks for sharing your wisdom
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  • revsorgrevsorg Frets: 874
    How big is the piece of sycamore? 
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  • 4xv4xv Frets: 49
    Just big enough for one l.p. shaped body with a little to spare possibly enough to turn a couple of pens!
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  • SteveRobinsonSteveRobinson Frets: 6914
    tFB Trader
    Weight might be an issue for a solid body. Sycamore, like maple, tends to be very dense.
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  • 4xv4xv Frets: 49
    Yes it's a hefty piece so some chambering will be required
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  • Andyjr1515Andyjr1515 Frets: 3127
    I'm just about to use rippled sycamore for an ultra-modern bass build.  Here's the wood:


    Because of the design, I won't be able to chamber it, but I'm going to try to get weight out of it using a 'contact lens' body profile:


    I wonder what rippled sycamore smells like on the barbecue? ;)
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  • 4xv4xv Frets: 49
    That looks nice, maybe which wood smells best on a barbecue could be a new thread!
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  • vasselmeyervasselmeyer Frets: 3665
    You could start with the Gibson Firebird X. Appropriate name for burning.
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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547
    I think sycamore generally runs a bit less dense and heavy than some of the maples we are used to using on guitars.


     I have a solid rock maple les Paul style that manages 9lb just by having a massive control cavity.  It also doesn't sound as bright as you would expect.  The clarity is there, but it's not icepicky like the solid maple superstrat I had in the 90's.  That one was thin, heavily contoured and still quite a weight

    I think sycamore will be fine and more towards the middy tonal spectrum.  Obviously you have to treat each piece on its own merits so take all that with a pinch of salt
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  • 4xv4xv Frets: 49
    Pinch of salt taken ,I'll get some pics up when I get the build underway
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  • WezV said:
    I think sycamore generally runs a bit less dense and heavy than some of the maples we are used to using on guitars.


     I have a solid rock maple les Paul style that manages 9lb just by having a massive control cavity.  It also doesn't sound as bright as you would expect.  The clarity is there, but it's not icepicky like the solid maple superstrat I had in the 90's.  That one was thin, heavily contoured and still quite a weight

    I think sycamore will be fine and more towards the middy tonal spectrum.  Obviously you have to treat each piece on its own merits so take all that with a pinch of salt

    Pinch of salt is right. Do you remember the les paul raw power range? 

    It was a budget Gibson range that was les paul shape, USA build, but maple body, maple neck, all maple! I tried a white one, and it's truly one of the best sounding guitars I've played. I didn't get it as it was a hair out of budget, but much regret - wound up with an epiphone. 

    This guitar wasn't overly bright, it was very warm. Heavy, but not unwieldy - perhaps chambered I suppose? 

    I accept it's likely to be the exception to the rule, but it did give me perspective on general "wood rules" (eg mahogany warm, maple bright, use as cap to add snap to tone, alder balanced). 
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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547
    edited March 2017
    Yeah, I still think it's okay to talk in generalisations as long as you know when to stop.


    When you are starting from scratch they get you in the right ball park.  


    Tap every piece of wood you see and you soon start to find the ones you want to build with
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  • 4xv4xv Frets: 49
    It's all just a learning curve I suppose I might even surprise my self and end up making something that sounds quite good I'd just like to be a little different and every piece of timber is different who knows.
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  • WezV said:
    Yeah, I still think it's okay to talk in generalisations as long as you know when to stop.


    When you are starting from scratch they get you in the right ball park.  


    Tap every piece of wood you see and you soon start to find the ones you want to build with

    Indeed. The experience made me too skeptical in fact, and I briefly thought the wood thing was a lie and some guitars just sounded better because. 

    Then I started partscastering and I found a heavy piece of ash (ie dense) sounded bugger all like a lighter piece. Then I built my strat from pine (very light - iirc lighter than most custom shop strats) for the body, and tap testing it *sounds* like it'll sound good - and it does. Not tons of sustain but a really beautiful sounding instrument, and lively. 

    I think there is a bit of a knack to it. Some builders match Woods by tone testing. I'd love to see how good it can get. 
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  • 4xv4xv Frets: 49
    So then should we all start building using alternative woods and compile a list of our findings? Could be interesting and quite usefull too
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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547
    Depends what you are after.  

    I have built a few junior styles now and it pays to start with the Gibson recipe... that will always get you closest.

    but the one I made with an English ash body and solid wenge neck was still a fine guitar, just didn't sound like a Gibson.  
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  • 4xv4xv Frets: 49
    For me it's more about enjoying the build rather than trying to emulate someone else's recipe , one bloke working in a shed with hand tools winging it here and there is no match for the big boys who can throw thousands at prototypes and if it doesn't work then start again I'm happy if it stays in one piece when strung and if it plays then that's a bonus. Who knows we may stumble across the next winning combination.
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8591
    The big boys are struggling to reduce the man hours, because that's where a lot of the cost lies, and to stay very close to classic designs. One bloke in a shed isn't worried about either of those.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • 4xv4xv Frets: 49
    I suppose that's where cnc machines come in to play 
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