Favorite wood tops, examples, sources

[ExMachina]

Just curious what everyone's favorite unfinished wood for a guitar top? As well as where you like to source wood.

I'm a big fan of lace redwood.

 

[MaxAidingAres]

Lace redwood is nice, i like curly redwood the most with big curls

One of my bucket lists guitars is a Kiesel with only Cali woods (curly redwood for the top)

 

[Soya]

I'd say my favorite is spalted maple, like on my old Carvin DC700. As far as other tops and woods, I generally buy off ebay, Bell Forest products, and Woodworker's source.

 

[Bobo]

When you say unfinished, I assume you mean not dyed /stained/kandy painted? Or do you plan on leaving the body w/o a topcoat (finish)? The terminology here hasn't been agreed upon by the curmudgeons Merriam and Webster, but finished usually refers to having a topcoat of some sort. You could say "natural finish" when not adding a color to the wood.

Ziricote is really nice, but "chocolate" flamed or quilted maple with an oil finish leaves a nice golden brown look.

Kimball Hardwoods is definitely worth checking out. You can pick out individual pieces, which in my experience can make or break it if you just blindly order "flame maple" from a source that doesn't show you exactly what you are getting.

 

[ExMachina]

When you say unfinished, I assume you mean not dyed /stained/kandy painted? Or do you plan on leaving the body w/o a topcoat (finish)? The terminology here hasn't been agreed upon by the curmudgeons Merriam and Webster, but finished usually refers to having a topcoat of some sort. You could say "natural finish" when not adding a color to the wood.

Ziricote is really nice, but "chocolate" flamed or quilted maple with an oil finish leaves a nice golden brown look.

Kimball Hardwoods is definitely worth checking out. You can pick out individual pieces, which in my experience can make or break it if you just blindly order "flame maple" from a source that doesn't show you exactly what you are getting.

Yea sorry, I meant natural finished, not raw wood.

 

[ChAoZ]

Digging this burl Elm top I did recently,

 

[gclef]

I'd say my favorite is spalted maple, like on my old Carvin DC700. As far as other tops and woods, I generally buy off ebay, Bell Forest products, and Woodworker's source.
View attachment 134745

If you like that, check THIS out!


It's a '99 warmoth tele (duh! Lol), from back when they did full thickness tops instead of the veneer tops.

The flame looks super deep, and it is very 3d as you move it around.

I am more into painted stuff over "wood library" types these days.

 

[Soya]

Flamed spalt is pretty rare, such a shame it's on a tele