Scrapwood guitar Vs Tonewood guitar
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ย. 2024
- This is a comparison between two identically build Gibson L-00 style guitars, but with different materials.
One build with traditional tonewoods. Spruce top, mahogany back, sides and neck, ebony fingerboard and bridge.
The other one is made of scrapwood i had lying around. A natural Larch board as top. Back, sides, neck, fingerboard and bridge is made of two oak floorboards.
See every step of the scrapwood guitar build: • Acoustic Scrap Wood Gi...
The song I'm playing is a new one of my own. So new that it doesn't have a title yet. :)
I am using exactly the same studio setup, microphone, EQ, tiny bit of compressor and reverb for both guitars.
I think the traditional tonewood guitar sounds (off course) better. It is a broader sound, more bass, more punch. But i am still surprised how good the scrapwood guitar sounds.
The tonewood guitar is brand new and the other one is 3 months old.
Let me hear what you think........
Wow, very interesting; huge difference in tonal quality. They both sound really good though! The tone wood unsurprisingly sounds quite familiar, but the scrap wood sounds really interesting. Someone mentioned blues guitar, and I agree.
It's actually amazing to me how good the scrapwood sounds. Showing how workmanship is much more important than material.
Saying that, it does sound noticeably more "boxy". This is the best word I can come up with, but I'm not sure what acoustic properties it entails.
I also suspect that even "a tiny bit of compressor and reverb" goes a long way to mask the differences.
I think you're spot on, the craftmanship here makes the bigger difference and so its very hard to make a distinction, but the tonewoods sound just a bit better to my ear.
boxy is a great way to describe it. Sounds ok, but the complexity and fullness of the tone wood is noticeable.
Both sound great. Both are pretty to look at. The scrapwood is unique. Given a choice, I'd probably choose the scrapwood because I dig unconventional things.
I like the scrap wood better. It has a tone that is more distinctive and to my ears lively. Which is not surprising given the dogma around tone woods. Guitar tone is held to be ideal when produced from the accepted species of tree, therefore we should expect top guitars to tend towards the same tonal neighborhood. I recently discovered that all woods possess their own tone, which is neither better nor worse than the supposed ideal, and this video demonstrates this beautifully, which is very satisfying.
Get you ears checked
I'm getting into instrument making....
I think all the hardline tonewood discussion is really annoying honestly.
There are so many woods out there.
We have become so constrained to styles of instruments, shapes and sounds. Violin. Guitar. Cello.
There used to be so many more, and more variation. Viola da Gamba, Oboe D'amore, Viola da braccio, lirone, baroque guitar, lute, archlute, theorbo, and all of these shapes.
I put a piece of mahogany in a vice and put a gut string across it with a walnut bridge I've be carving.... and it actually made a really beautiful sound when I bowed it.
People think that volume is all that matters, when honestly it should be a tertiary concern in this age of microphones.
Australian luthier Trevor Gore did a similar experiment he called "The Shed Guitar" because he made it from wood salvaged from an old shed. The top (five pieces) was pine that had been interior cladding, the sides, back, and neck were made from Meranti shelf boards. You can hear it on his website.
As an engineer (PhD from Cambridge), he developed a way to thickness different species to get the same natural resonance frequency for the top and back. He said the guitar sounded "remarkably close" to his premium spruce and rosewood guitars. He thought the pine was a little heavier and had more damping than the spruce, and that probably created the difference.
So it comes down to getting the right thickness for the panels, and being able to tune the completed guitar to hit target resonant frequencies. He shows how to do this in his book "Contemporary Acoustic Guitar, Design and Build", which I highly recommend.
I watched the video of your Scrapwood construction. Beautiful build! It's obvious that the skill of the luthier has as much to do with the sound as the material use. While each has a uniquely different sound (scrapwood really brought out the high range), they both sounded magnificent! I really enjoyed your original music! As they say, beauty is in the ear of the beholder. So, I think it boils down to the type of music you will play with the instrument, Great job, Anders!
I agree 💯
I won't use fancy words cause I know nothing. I can hear a difference and recognize them a bit. They both sound great for me :)
My vote is for the scrapwood guitar! Love to hear some delta blues played on that one :)
Lovely builds. Each lovingly done. The "scrapwood" guitar was a joy to watch cone together. Both articulate, both balanced with perhaps the oak back and sides providing a touch more punch, if you can call it that. They are both obviously rewarding to play and ultra responsive, proving that skill and care in joinery, bracing and design will allow the best to come out of your materials. Remarkable effort, truly👏
I am an amateur luthier and have built 4 guitars over the years as a hobby. I am also a real fan of the great luthiers. You are very meticulous and I appreciate seeing you working. I agree with your analysis in your comparison. I like the scrap-wood guitar though as it is truly unique in materials, appearance and sound.
Thanks❤️
The tonewood build had a much fuller sound to the notes played, softer attack and longer sustain. Overall, more to hear (imo). The scrapwood still had good qualities, but wouldn't be my choice between the two. Beautiful playing made the scrapwood sound great, but I think I'd like the sound of the playing on any guitar.
Sitting here with my studio headphones on and can confirm the tonewood one is much richer in mids and lows than the scrapwood one! Not that the scrapwood sounds bad it just lacks some depth.
The difference is huge. The tonewood guitar sounds like a good instrument; its sound will grow with time. The scrapwood one sounds like a toy guitar. It does tell a beautiful story though. It was hand-made with love. That's what makes it special. This project was amazing, I have never seen anything like it. And so well made. You should be extremely proud about it. In your playing, I hear Pat Metheny's "One Quiet Night". Warm and beautiful. Congratulations! /Carlos
Both of your builds sound good and much better than most over braced solid top or laminate midrange production guitars. The Tonewood guitar has a much fuller woody and mellower sound with more even bottom end, while the Scrapwood guitar is crisper and harsher sounding with more treble. Nice job on both guitars.
I could hear unique timbres and am able to identify each guitar by them. bothe guitars sounded good. The tonewood one is more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I wish i coud hav e been in the roomm where they wrer played because the electronic colors the acoutic aspect. Both guitars appeared to be well made and very playable. my complements to the luthiers and also the guitarist who played them.
To my ears they both sound great and have completely different characters. My overall preference was the tonewood. When you were playing single string runs, I liked it a bit better for the warmer rounded low end. But when you strummed and let the two guitars sustain, that's where I felt the tonewood WAY outshined the scrapwood from a sound perspective. That said, I totally agree with others...it's not all about the sound. That scrapwood build is legendary. You turned firewood into a beautiful sounding instrument that will make beautful music for many years and decades. That alone makes the scrapwood a total WIN!!
To me, they both sound equally beautiful.
What a brilliant idea! More than the impact of the woods, I think this demonstrates how a good builder can give life to any material. I mean, floorboards!?!?
Both sound great, with the scrapwood to my ear having less bass and very pronounced highs (and this through the limitation of TH-cam through my headphones).
Well done
Man thanks so much for this video. I want to build a pine /white & red oak guitar with wood from my parent's land. This has convinced me it's a good idea!
Thanks! Good luck and enjoy your build.
Tonewood version has more bass and mids, depth, is mellower, warmer and softer. The scrapwood is in the highs, oak is hard and tough, with less bass, but very surprisingly doesn't sound bad at all!
First off, Nice work on both guitars.
I agree with someone else’s comment about how they both sound great but different. I personally like how the scrap wood guitar has a story behind it since the materials were most likely found and repurposed. I can buy a beautiful Lowden or Hoffman guitar that sounds amazing, but the scrap wood guitar is truly unique. It also has the potential to connect with the artist in its own way.
Again, great work! Would like to see if you have any of the building process documented as well.
Hi Mark. Thank you.
The whole building of the Scrapwood is documented in the videolink in the description. :)
@@AndersWestfall thanks! I’ll definitely check it out!
Guitar makers have learned over the years which woods transmit the vibrations from the strings better than others and it's a mixture of art and science. However, this is a very nice project. This scrapwood guitar not only tells a visual story but it has a voice to match.
Both sound really good to me! I'd say the scrap wood guitar has a little less separation between the strings, but I don't think I could tell you which instrument was being played if the samples weren't labeled. Great work and a really interesting comparison.
Wow Anders! Another beautiful build I see.
Both guitars sound beautiful, but both sound very different. While the tonewood guitar sounds a lot more full, the scrapwood guitar sounds more articulate and sparkly. I think they would accompany each other rather well, perhaps in a jazz duet
Thank you Guus. I think you're right. The scrapwood has other values. It sounds great playing old blues for instance. A jazzduet is a good idea.....:)
More definitive, tonal projection in scrapwood guitar, that would be a sexy guitar build for fingerstyle or blues.
More depth for tonewood, but livelier sound with Scrap.
they sound totally different ...you guys are confused because he is playing so well,,,tone wood is much richer tone
They both have a unique shimmering sound. I’m assuming that’s attributed to the craftsmanship. The tone woods add a nice dynamic range. But the scrap woods sound has an endearing character.
They both sound amazing , the difference doesn't seem to be too great , I think the accuracy of measurement and built is more important than scrapwood or tonewood very nice work specially with the scrap wood . 👍👍👌
when you played the open chords, the tonewood sounded a little more deep and mellow, and the scrapwood a touch less so, more bright, but all the rest of the clips I could not notice it was one or the other. They sound both beautifully.
I was initially hesitant to make a guitar from scrapwood, but finally I dared to make a guitar from scrapwood
The scrapwood has a lovely, lighter springyness to it. They both sound amazing.
Very nice job and very interesting comparison. It's very clear how tonewood has a richer, deeper and more dynamic sound. The scrapwood guitar sounds amazing for being what it is. Compared to the "real deal" it's more bright in a sense of flat sound. Great job, thanks for sharing
obviously the scrapwood lacks clean basses and clean highs, so the thone is more around mids. it also lacks some note clarity. but it is anwesome how th scrapwood sounds. enough for training if you don't need a loud output for public. thanks for making this vid, i am learning and i need those tests. thanks again
Thanks Victor👍
I’ll take either. Love them both! Love your playing
I quite like the lighter base response of the 'scrap' wood guitar, as well as the slightly 'box-ey' tones (if that's a real word!).
It’s a very subtle difference and I can’t swear I hear it when my eyes are closed.
Second listen, the scrap wood tones are less rounded, but you could conversely say there are more distinct tonal bands in the mid range, which produces a sound with more interference patterns which I find exciting to the ear
Tonewood so warm and big sound and scrapwood so punching and focus sound that both so great
They both sounded really good to me though a little different. It goes to show ya that there are many factors that goo into a good sounding guitar not just the tonewood. As for these two they are both fine and I think it boil down to which sound your ear liked better. That is subjective to every player. The only change I would have made to this experiment would have been to not reveal which sound came from which until the end. That would remove the subconscious tone wood bias that has been drilled into many of our psyches.
Hi Shelly. That is a really good point! Thank you
@@AndersWestfall Your welcome.
I think both sound great, just different. The scrap wood one is in my opinion prettier.
Scrapwood! But they both have a particular voice. In these times the underdog wins. It's it's own uniqueness.
Quite the tonal difference, but interestingly, I can see a musical use for either one. The "guitar" characteristic is definitely there in both, but each would take a different spot in a recording, for instance, or in a live band. In that regard, neither one is "better", they are equally valid. And clearly nicely built. Thanks for the demonstration, that took some time and work to pull off. Makes the nature of the woods used more definite to observe.
Now, gentlemen, for those of you of the married persuasion, play this video for your wife. If she doesn't hear the difference, point out the sound differences, the more boxy sound of the "inferior" woods, the full, rich sounding body of the tone wood instrument, and then point out how each of them would work better for a specific song or piece. Now you will CLEARLY have to get BOTH guitars, and there just can't be any fighting about it. You're welcome. Play on!
The difference is very clear and noticeable.
Both guitars sound good. The tone wood guitar has a much clearer sound. But I don't think one has a higher volume than the other . Awesome video thanks for sharing. Stay well and safe.
First off great builds and playing. The tone woods does have a fuller sound and I'm sure even more noticeable in person. The scrapwood still sounds really good. I own an all solid guitar that came from Russia that was made from reclaimed wood, Maple backs/sides with some sort of spruce top. It's very well crafted and sounds great and does have it's own "Voice" that I really like, but not as good as my Guild or guitars with good tonewoods.
Interesting. The Kings cloths come to mind!
The two gitars sound differend in my opinion.
Were the tonewood gitar has a wider range of sound from low to high tones.
Same whit two gitars i own , one is les expencive and is made of plywood. The other costs a 110,- more and is made of tonewood . Besides the sound they produce there both beautiful gitars.
The cheaper one i prefer the looks even more, but i always pick up the one that sounds so good playing it.
They both look just as good, but the tone wood it's brighter than the scrap wood one
I think that in your hands what ever log would sound perfect. Thanks for shearing. This will encourage me to try my own attempts. 👍😊
Thank you! Enjoy your build and good luck.
It’s like the difference between my Martin And my brothers Taylor. Martin is warmer and more controlled and the Taylor is brighter and a little twangy but still a great sound. Matter of taste. I recently made a guitar with plywood top and back but bent ash sides. Sounds great but I am sure it would be better if the top was spruce or cedar. For me it’s about cost vs results.
Listening with headphones on the tonewood has more clarity projects better the scrap wood has a more subdued tone maybe that is down to proper dried timber compered to a pallet left outside in the elements ?
I actually prefer the scrap, and it's got some mojo!
From all the investigation I've done into non-conventional woods, my bet as to the reason for both the success and the difference here is the Larch top--brighter, clearer, but also more aggressive and less round of a sound (leading to less full or harmonious sounding chords--but hell if I wanted to cut through a band I'd choose the scrapwood!). The oak, on the other hand, probably brought nothing but trouble compared to more conventional woods: it's a heavier hardwood already, but of those, it's by far one of the least resonant. It would be interesting to hear the same top but with walnut (heavy like oak, but as a tonewood stereotyped as mellow--so possibly a counterbalance to the aggressive larch?) or maple (possibly accentuating Larch's strengths and weaknesses, but because of its resonance leading to a higher quality of sound in general).
At any rate, an extremely informative video, and of course the nice compositions and playing are an added bonus.
The tone. tone wood holds resonance better with that said I'd play the scrap wood guitar and love it just as much overall sound is great from both guitars I had to watch twice and close my eyes to catch the differences both are great sounding guitars
Nice job! They both sound nice, and I would be happy to own either. The scrap wood is unique, therefore, I would like to have one. Of course, the builder is the main factor in the sound of any instrument. I wouldn’t want Martin, Taylor, or Gibson to build me a scrap wood acoustic, because they don’t build guitars I enjoy playing. This is the first time I ever saw your content...are you a luthier, or just a player, like I am? 🐰🇺🇸❤️🎸🎶🤝✌️
I'm just a player with a luthiers hobby.......:)
Brother, you are a talented builder. There's more sound coming out of those little guitars than most dreadnoughts. The scrap wood guitar is coming across a little harsh compared to mahogany, but it has very good sound of its own. Mahogany is known to add warmth. I would love to know your thicknessing specs. You're doing something right.
Hi Carlos. Thank you!
I start out with a thickness at 3 mm and then feel and listening while i make it thinner. I don't measure......:)
@@AndersWestfall Thank you, Anders. No substitute for experience. Blessings of continued success in your work.
That goes saying that it's not the type of materials, someone has in their disposal, it's how they put them together. As the old saying goes: "Time is Money".
They both have their own sounds but I wouldn't say one was better. Both are very good...
There does seem to be a slight difference in tone. The one made with traditional tone wood seem a bit warmer and more mellow. The scrap wood guitar seems a bit brighter. Both sound very nice. Just a bit different.
I got a cheap parlour by Fender and isn't sound better than those "scrap guitar".
But it's so playable and functional, only for 180€.
Not bad!
Wow, they're both such nice sounds!
You're inspiring my friend!
Wow...both are real good
Scrapwood has a much brighter mid-range and treble tonal quality, and the bass notes, though perfectly audible, don't have the richness and depth of the tonewood version. I have the impression from the demo that the tonewood version has much more versatility in the volume range, where the scrapwood model would have a narrower volume range in which it show optimal sound quality.
The two guitars sound great. The Tonewood has a fuller sound and a nicer aesthetic seen from the front. The Scrapwood has a higher sound, very nice. Both have a powerful sound despite their size. I like the Tonewood better ;o))
Both very well made guitars and my ears can only detect a minor difference in tonal quality; but then Torres made a paper mache guitar it is said to demonstrate that it is the soundboard which is important.
The tone wood guitar had a fuller, deeper, and warmer tone. The scrap wood guitar had some nice "old time" sounds. Both guitars would have benefited more if the neck joint was at the 12th fret instead of the 14th. This would put the bridge closer to the middle of the lower bout, and that would improve the volume and tone substantially. A cutaway could provide upper fret access.
Maybe you should build one and film it for TH-cam…
Yes the tone wood guitar has more lower mids and a touch of lows whereas the other has harder wood tone- like higher freqs . Both beautiful of coarse ...
The larch board and oakwood sounds more woody to my ears. Scrapwood wins here!
Tone is mostly in the fingers. Your a good player and that may be scrap wood, but it has good intonation, good action and some care in the construction. Am I wrong? That boxy sound works good with alot of old time music.
Thanks Aaron. I think you are spot on.
Even taking into account that there might be a slight difference in tone between the two, there is no significant difference that I can detect. There is a also a place for “scrapwood” guitars for the musician who might not want to travel with an expensive instrument but for whom the cheaper instrument would suffice.
when i listen and close my eyes i can see heaven
They're very close ! Tw has a bit more sustain and depth. Sw will age to an amazing guitar, I bet! Sw has interest and awesome looks. Great build and videos ! Thank you
Both lovely guitars and beautifully played. The 'tonewood' guitar has a warmer low middle I think. I haven't heard many oak guitars, but it's a lighter tone on the scrapwood guitar. I wonder if a larger body size would give it back the low end? Gibson use maple only for their largest guitars and oak might be in the same tonal range.
Hi Eric. Thank you!
You are absolutely right. I have also made a dreadnought model with the same materials (larch top, oak back/sides) and there is more low end. Not as much as more traditional materials, but still......
I guess at the end of the day its a matter of preference scrap wood sounds brighter
Very interesting!! Well done!!
I like the scrapwood sound better sounds louder and more alive to my ears
I couldn't tell a huge difference.
But the tonewood has a little more mellow sound from the way I hear through my phone. Could I recommend shooting a video with no mic, just what maybe you can get your phone or camera to pick up. It would be more realistic that way. I want to build one and I'm in the process of research.
Well done! I think they both sound great!
Beautiful Thank you.
Thank you Tom!
Almost not really fair since larch (I am assuming European larch) is a conifer that looks a lot like a spruce. It could easily be considered a tone wood. Try real scrap like pine, or, better yet underlayment plywood (0.125 inch thick). Or ash. The emerald ash borer has killed millions of ash trees here in Wisconsin where I live and there’s a lot of ash.
No difference in the sound, that you could put words to. Both beautiful sounding!!
Such overtones from the scrapwood!
Scrap wood sounds brighter, high notes pop more in an acoustic so it gives it a very complex sound whereas the tone wood sounds more like a general use guitar for all styles of music. The scrap wood has a better timbre for acoustic jazz. Very interesting
I have a speaker set-up & amp for my computer but I doubt the difference is fairly assessed even so. However: The scrap guitar is a lovely build but the edges of the tone seem to be too rounded, not defined. A normal cedar top also sounds rounded but more defined. I doubt the back and sides are as important & if the tone wood were on the scrap guitar it would be very close to the other.
Lovely guitars and sound!
Actually was easier to hear the differences than what I was expecting, tonewood has deeper bass and more defined highs, the scrapwood has more middles, and less defined tone.
First musician tip is get one of those little hats
What I hear is that you could play a railroad tie and make it sound brilliant!
🤠 Thank you, John.
You are very talented my friend, thank you for this and your other videos. By the way how long have you been building guitars for? Have you made any classical guitars?
Hi Anibal. Thank you!
I started building guitars maybe 3 years ago, so I'm still a newbie:)
I am building a classical guitar to learn that as well. Almost finish with the body, but haven't had time to finish it yet.
@@AndersWestfall Thanks for the quick answer, congratulations I think you are doing great and I wish you the best as you move forward into this beautiful hobby.
If given either, or both, i would not give either away.
The "scrapwood guitar" sounds almost as good as the tonewood guitar, and it should. You used white oak, which is every bit the equal of the other common American back and side wood which is maple. I can't go into the laurel top, but it is a light and tough wood used in cabinetry; maybe it's a good find?
different sound, probably good for different music styles
The scrap wood guitar sounded warmer less harsh melow. That is what i like. I may be bious, out of the two the scrap wood guitar is the better.
Sons belos os dois violões são bem feitos parabéns ,👏👏
I love the scrap wood myself
Beide hören sich gut an!.
Unterschiedliche Hölzer machen unterschiedliche Töne.
Schon das Halsholz ändert den ton deutlich.
Tonewood sounds much better man. Would've loved a different result tho :) cheers
I cannot hear a significant difference, really I can't. There are some below saying "the difference is huge". I can't help but think of the story of the emperor's new clothes frankly. How many would hear a difference if not only were they blindfolded, but more importantly, were not told that one guitar is made from scrapwood?
I actually prefer the scrap wood. It is brighter and has more mid-range.
actually the scrapwood guitar sounds great ... i mean i love it...