Using Words To Describe Woods…

I have come to a place I I my career where I rarely buy wood. I have harvested, salvaged and milled so many board feet of lumber in the last ten years that basically could stop now. If I run out something, I can just guide my customers to choose something else. The only two woods that I have to keep buying are Pistachio and Myrtle, which I get from Kevin at woodfromthewest.com. He sent me some sample tops last year which I have been using for stock instruments. The goal was for me to describe the different woods for his website so other builders have a better idea of the options. I think about the wood to sound to words pipeline a lot, but it is still hard for me to do. It can easily sound like a wine snob describing their favorite Malbec, which I am trying to avoid. I actually hear the sound from an instrument in terms of colors, feelings and textures, which is then hard to describe as well. It’s back to sounding pretentious again.

While I am on vacation this week, I wrote up a few sentences for each top wood. I thought you might like to see the rough draft, realizing that these might not even get used by Kevin at all. I pasted a picture of each top wood below, but note that only some of the pictures come from Kevin’s site. (He doesn’t have his full inventory up right now)

Western Red Cedar: Western Red Cedar is a strong choice when you need a dark and resonant sound. It has long sustain, rich overtones and clear bass.  It may not be as loud as Port Orford Cedar, but still has a strong presence. It also can mellow a brighter back and sides set, like Maple or Pistachio. The dark red/brown color looks great under all finishes.

Alaskan Yellow Cedar- Very similar to Port Orford Cedar, this is a great top wood for ukes and guitars. It is a little sweeter than POC and almost as loud as Spruce.  A great choice when you want to add some brightness to a dark sounding back and sides like Walnut.  It stays a little lighter in color than POC over time.

Redwood- Redwood is almost as dark sounding as Western Red Cedar, but has a clearer presence and a little “snap” to the sound.  It is very stiff for its weight and works well on any size instrument.  It is a balanced top wood, with a solid mix of high and low overtones.

Douglas Fir- Some of the first ukuleles made in Hawaii by the three original builders used Douglas Fir as a soundboard. This old, tight grained Fir is a strong top wood with a direct and focused sound. It has a bit of a dusty tonal texture compared to Spruce. This is a great wood when you need a more durable top than Cedar or Redwood but still want a top that is darker colored.

Myrtle- Many traditional ukuleles are made with one wood for the top, back and sides. This offers a direct, mid-range sound that is clear and focused. The best wood for this in N. America is Myrtle, with an easy response and singing trebles. It is very strong, which allows you to build lightly for good volume. Myrtle is a great domestic alternative to Koa and Mahogany for ukuleles and guitars.

Port Orford Cedar has a bright and expressive sound.  Not as sweet as Spruce, it is a little darker and earthier.  It performs well at all volumes and responds nicely to a pick or fingers.  The wood will darken to a butterscotch color with age and exposure to light.  It pairs well with a Myrtle back and sides when you want an all domestic  ukulele.