Your least favourite wood! A bit of fun.

[rhythm]

Just a bit of fun to see what other people think of the woods you can use for your Warmoth. Opinions on what looks good seem to vary to a huge degree on here. Sometimes I look at a wood it I think it looks terrible and then someone posts a build from that wood! Purpleheart makes me want to puke! Variety makes the world go round though, but I am just curious, which woods do people just hate to look at? Tell us what you think folks........... 5 votes each. I know the list isnt exhaustive.

It is great to have the choice though. Cheers Warmoth  :rock-on:

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

I don't like lacewood or poplar, all the rest that are listed are niiiice!

 

[SkuttleFunk]

there are no ugly woods - just inappropriate places to artistically utilize them with certain other woods. examples would be

Yellowheart body top and headstock with Purpleheart fingerboard (unless you're a UW Husky)
Amboyna burl top with Pink Ebony fingerboard
Canarywood neck shaft with flatsawn Maple fingerboard

etc ...

all the best,

R

 

[rhythm]

I don't like lacewood or poplar, all the rest that are listed are niiiice!

I voted for both of them too, I totally agree. Lacewood is far to busy for me (I have simple understated taste) and looks more like an applied effect. That being said, I could see why some people like Lacewood, it just isnt for me. Ive thought about it since and voting for poplar may be a bit harsh on my part. Who leaves poplar raw? Thank god nobody leaves it raw or clear finished because it just looks anemic. Purpleheart is by far my most hated followed close by Zebrawood. I really want to like Canary after all the good stuff you hear about it, but is just looks dirty to me. Canary might look nice on a solid, vivid coloured body.

I also agree that there is an appropriate place for all woods......... I think dark all Rosewood or dark all Pao Ferro neck would look great on a seafoam green body for example.

So which wood combo is the ultimate unholy alliance? Could it be purpleheart with......err...... anything else? (yeah, I really dont like purpleheart)

 

[SkuttleFunk]

on the topic of Poplar being ugly, maybe you just haven't seen the 'right' cut of Poplar. I'm sure many who despise Poplar would love to have a guitar top from this peiece of burl

would you let it being Poplar put you off from using it?

all the best,

R

p.s. this is Black Poplar from Europe and not Yellow Poplar from the US

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

Woah, i like that one!

 

[rhythm]

on the topic of Poplar being ugly, maybe you just haven't seen the 'right' cut of Poplar. I'm sure many who despise Poplar would love to have a guitar top from this peiece of burl

would you let it being Poplar put you off from using it?

all the best,

R

p.s. this is Black Poplar from Europe and not Yellow Poplar from the US

Yeah, but that wood is very different to just straight poplar. It is burl and a different cultivar of Poplar. Just like Brazilian and Palisander Rosewood are totally different. It is a nice piece of poplar though. The name of wood never puts me off, expect maybe ply wood!

 

[SkuttleFunk]

sure ... but the list doesn't specify Yellow Poplar, it just reads Poplar. I know that most here will assume Yellow Poplar even though it is not specified.

one of the downfalls of utilizing common and not scientific names


there are some Mahogany species that I really have difficulty finding a visual use for. thankfully they are uncommon in the instrument industry unless you are the unproud owner of an instrument made of all local materials from the Phillipines

all the best,

  R

 

[GoDrex]

Can it be safe to assume that the list is of woods that Warmoth uses and not some other version of those woods?

 

[rhythm]

Can it be safe to assume that the list is of woods that Warmoth uses and not some other version of those woods?

Pretty much.

 

[tfarny]

No quilt maple option?
I don't personally like the super over the top stuff very much - zebrawood, spalt (sorry!), etc., but it does depend on the individual piece. There's a fine line between a beautiful instrument and a beach town tourist trap petrified driftwood wall clock masquerading as a musical instrument. Seems like bass players are more often guilty of this than guitar players for some reason.
Not into the "if 70's Elvis were a lumberjack shredder..." builds all that much.

otoh, when we all lose our jobs in the next couple of months after our financial system collapses, we'll probably all be scouring the closeout section for those poplar bodies!

 

[rhythm]

No quilt maple option?
I don't personally like the super over the top stuff very much - zebrawood, spalt (sorry!), etc., but it does depend on the individual piece. There's a fine line between a beautiful instrument and a beach town tourist trap petrified driftwood wall clock masquerading as a musical instrument. Seems like bass players are more often guilty of this than guitar players for some reason.
Not into the "if 70's Elvis were a lumberjack shredder..." builds all that much.

otoh, when we all lose our jobs in the next couple of months after our financial system collapses, we'll probably all be scouring the closeout section for those poplar bodies!

Good point. I have tagged quilt maple on at the end.

Also, I have noticed that Americans seem to like more bare wood than us Brits (maybe it is just me). I dont know why, but when I see a rear routed body with a clear finish over figured wood I presume it is American owned (I dont mean that in a negative way). Maybe it is because Americans are generally surrounded by more wood in their living spaces and outdoors. I cant think of another place I have been in the world that has wooden panels on cars (fair enough, Brits had the Morris Minor in the 60's). I do know that when I was a graphic designer in the middle east their aesthetic taste is very very different to western taste. Anyone else notice this?

 

[rhythm]

I do know that when I was a graphic designer in the middle east their aesthetic taste is very very different to western taste. Anyone else notice this?

I mean does anyone else notice the regional differences in taste. I didnt mean 'was anyone else a graphic designer in the middle east and did you notice they liked different things to us?'. I would be interested to see what Nonsensetele thinks about it.

 

[simple]

Why does the question have to be a negative one? Why can't the poll ask what are your favorites instead?

 

[RockStarNick]

I know it's kinda crazy, but I just HATE quilt maple.

I think it's because Quilt Maple USED to be the sign of a really high end guitar.   But now, there's so many knock-off cheap import guitars that do crazy electric blue burst quilt maple veneers on $250 guitars, that to me, Quilt makes me think CHEAP.

Give me a plain top any day!

 

[Lucky #7]

Gregg,

If I could venture a guess, I'd say for most here it's probably less time consuming to name the woods they don't like than to name the woods they do.

 

[GoDrex]

I missed a couple - I wish I could add some.

Spalt to me looks like a toddler got a hold of a pen and went nuts on a butcher block.
Birdseye looks like a skin disease.
Zebra is just ugly

 

[Orpheo]

Why does the question have to be a negative one? Why can't the poll ask what are your favorites instead?

I like them all, and its easier to say which ones I dont like

I dont like

ash (boring)
alder (boring)
poplar (boring and ugly)
birdseye maple (like a skin disease, GoDrex; go boy! you're completely right!)

Zebrano is nice with a tobaccoburst and quartersawn.

 

[simple]

Gregg,

If I could venture a guess, I'd say for most here it's probably less time consuming to name the woods they don't like than to name the woods they do.

Everyone has woods that don't attract them. Every so often someone will do something very different with a type of wood and change other people's perspective on it for the better. For that reason, I am always careful about saying negative things about different woods. I would hate to be the reason someone did not follow through with their idea and expand the vision of others.

 

[rhythm]

Why does the question have to be a negative one? Why can't the poll ask what are your favorites instead?

Just because the answers to your favourites or least favourites are totally different. Its great that we have the choice of such a wide range, but I was just currious if anyone else disliked the same woods I did.

I know it is difficult for it not to be, but I dont mean this thread to put anyone off a wood just because others like it or dont. I dont think it will be taken that way, I hope not. I dont really like the colour red, it doesnt mean it is a bad colour, you know, its just not my taste. I love birdseye maple, but someone voted for it. Doesnt mean I dont like birdseye now.

I dont really take this as a negative thread, that isnt my intention, just opinions. That is why I called the thread a bit of fun, you know, just having a laugh.

Anyone reading this thread has to remember that we are just talking aesthetics here and there is much more to wood than aesthetics when guitars are concerned. I think Canary looks dirty, but I wouldnt mind having one on the right body because people speak so highly of raw Canary necks.

Birdseye = skin disease hahahahahahahaha (I actually chuckled out loud and I never do)