Torrefaction, all in all, is the process of baking the woods used in the construction of the guitar, most often the top. This process is typically done with high-quality pieces of wood such as Adirondack Spruce or Sitka. The pieces of wood are placed into an oven or...
Sometimes life hands us a binary choice; I recall how my heart would sink when the middle school lunch-lady would issue her daily demand, “peas or fruit?” (I suppose a tossed salad would be out of the question, then?). Acoustic guitar buyers have, for...
How do I love thee, mahogany? Let me count the ways: L‑00, D‑18, O‑22, J‑45, Les Paul Junior…. Mahogany is the cornerstone tonewood of the fretted instrument world. What it lacks in dramatic visual appeal and breathless testimonial from wood-sniffers, it more...
Your tone begins with your top… but that’s not where it ends! The great luthier Antonio Torres Jurado proved the importance of a guitar’s top in 1862, by crafting a fine guitar with a solid spruce top and papier-mâché back and sides (the guitar can...
One question that is very common and quite relevant to most archtop players is the difference between maple and mahogany when used on the back and sides of an archtop. In order to understand this issue a little better, it is important to consider a few things about...
