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Author
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Topic: poplar used for steel guitar cabinets?
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tbhenry
Member From: Chattanooga /USA
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posted 03 September 2004 06:11 PM
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This come from a site: www.allaboutstrats.com
"Now, on to Alder and Poplar. Yes, I said Poplar! I can hear many of you saying, "He's nuts. Poplar sucks!" Wrong. This was one of Fender's first woods used in the earliest days of production. They stopped using it because the United States was in a major Baby-Boom building flurry in the early 60s. Poplar was commonly used in new home construction so it became harder to find, thus Fender switched from its Ash bodies for clear coating and its Popular for opaque finishes to Alder for clears and Basswood for opaques. Poplar, also known as Imperial Carolinas or Black Poplar, was forgotten about until now.
At Mooretone, we have rediscovered this wood's tonal and sustaining properties and they are incredible. However, the wood has a tendency to contain greenish streaks, but we have found that recent cross hybrids of Cottonwood and Black Poplar can provide us with clean white stock that is wide enough for a one-piece body construction without any streaks at all! Poplar is one of the straightest grained woods of the hardwood family, making its ability to sustain vibrations endless. The straighter the grained wood, the more balanced and more sustain it promotes." I would appreciate some comments on this article. Would the sustain be good on a pedal steel cabinet made from this stuff? |
Farris Currie
Member From: Ona, Florida, USA
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posted 04 September 2004 02:57 AM
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hello,i can't even imagine poplar as good for
steel guitar!!seems it would be so soft.i've
used lots of poplar for building furniture,
and ponderso pine.the two go great together.
seems you would have LOTS of cabinet drop.
also bad to split,straight grain will split
easy.just my thoughts!! good luck.
farris |
Farris Currie
Member From: Ona, Florida, USA
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posted 04 September 2004 02:59 AM
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hello,i can't even imagine poplar as good for
steel guitar!!seems it would be so soft.i've
used lots of poplar for building furniture,
and ponderso pine.the two go great together.
seems you would have LOTS of cabinet drop.
also bad to split,straight grain will split
easy.just my thoughts!! good luck.
farris |
Willis Vanderberg
Member From: Bradenton, FL, USA
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posted 04 September 2004 04:36 AM
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There may have been a shortage of poplar in California, but in northern Michigan, where I lived ,it was everywhere. The only use I can think of, in the building industry, at that time would have been chip board.Our loggers did cut a lot of wood and chipped it into semi's and hauled it to Georgia Pacific's plant.It is no good for fire wood as it burns too fast and tends to pop and shower sparks .It also tends to have soft streaks in it...The good news was, it cuts like butter with a chain saw. |
Farris Currie
Member From: Ona, Florida, USA
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posted 04 September 2004 04:55 AM
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good morning willis,like to meet you,i'm 32miles east of you on hwy.64,at the hardee,
manatee co line.ph. 863-735-1835
hang on thru this storm.i'm fixing to go to
bradenton to publix,get a few supplies.
your right about popular,no good for steels!!
thought about yellow pine ha ha
farris |
George Kimery
Member From: Limestone, TN, USA
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posted 04 September 2004 06:00 AM
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As a professional woodworker, I say no to Poplar for a steel guitar body. While Poplar is technically catagorized as a hardwood, I have never considered it as such. To me, it is a "soft hardwood" at best. It stains nice and machines nice, but that is about it. I think the guitar would have serious de-tuning problems. I also think it would be very mellow sounding, probably too much so for my tastes. No way of knowing for sure unless somebody builds one. My "gut" says "no way." But I would love to hear the outcome if somebody has built one out of Poplar. It might be OK for a lap steel, but a Pedal????? |
James Morehead
Member From: Durant, Oklahoma, USA
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posted 04 September 2004 07:20 AM
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Cottonwood is the most twisted wood you will ever find, next to Bluegum Eucoliptus. Try splitting it with a log splitter, you will only succeed in tearing it. Although poplar and cottonwood are of the same "family", I seriously doubt you can cross them to come up with a straight grained wood. I also doubt that wood workers "forgot" about poplar, if it was that good. Nobody forgot about Brazilian Rosewood when it got rare. |
Tom Olson
Member From: Spokane, WA
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posted 04 September 2004 10:01 AM
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It's my understanding that ALL Fender STANDARD series guitar bodies were made of poplar until about a year or two ago. Now, everything Fender seems to be made of alder or ash. Some Japanese Fender imports are basswood. I don't know why they switched from poplar to alder. |
Donny Hinson
Member From: Balto., Md. U.S.A.
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posted 04 September 2004 02:29 PM
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Solid-body straight guitars and pedal steels are entirely different animals, they have very little in common. Solid-body guitars are thick, very thick, and relatively small. Flex isn't a problem in those. Most pedal steels are made of thin boards. Flex here is a significant problem, as the load bearing area of the body is quite long in a pedal steel, and the forces placed upon it are far greater than any straight guitar. Keep that in mind when visiting all those sites relating to straight guitars. |
Eric West
Member From: Portland, Oregon, USA
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posted 04 September 2004 03:40 PM
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I've always thought of poplar willow and cottonwood as pulpwood due to the mushiness.Cypress might be interesting as it was used on classical and flamenco guitars for ages. It wouldn't surprise me what was under some of tht formica out there....  EJL |
tbhenry
Member From: Chattanooga /USA
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posted 04 September 2004 04:14 PM
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My interest in poplar is that it is light. However, I see your point about the pressure of ten strings over an extended distance. Also the pedals may cause additional pressure. Has anyone ever made a steel guitar feom poplar? I thought that Samuel White had done so. |
Jim Phelps
Member From: just out of Mexico City
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posted 04 September 2004 06:27 PM
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.[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 17 November 2004 at 09:00 PM.] |
Farris Currie
Member From: Ona, Florida, USA
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posted 05 September 2004 06:42 AM
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my brother in law builds boxes for urns out
of poplar,darn, steels, and urns,who knows.
whats next?? |
Farris Currie
Member From: Ona, Florida, USA
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posted 05 September 2004 06:44 AM
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wow, my brother in law, builds urnes for ashes out of poplar,darn steels,and urns!!
ha ha |
Jim Phelps
Member From: just out of Mexico City
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posted 05 September 2004 08:35 AM
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.[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 17 November 2004 at 09:00 PM.] |
Tony Prior
Member From: Charlotte NC
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posted 06 September 2004 06:46 AM
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And of my 3 Tele's..2 have real wood, that being Ash..and the 3rd being imitation wood..Poplar..and YOU CAN tell the difference.I'm a hack..and I can tell the difference in a heartbeat..very thin, way too bright..no strength of tone/sustain in the mids or lows compared to the dense Ash. Yes the pickup is part of the equation but not the dominant factor.but of course this is just my opinion...others may see it totally differently.. t[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 06 September 2004 at 06:49 AM.] |
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