Comments on: American Sycamore. Tonewood Database

By: chris zurawski

chris zurawski — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 23:06:00 +0000

I own a Washburn that is made completely from sycamore, top, sides, and bottom. And not only is it a stunning guitar to look at. The tone on it is amazing. So for those with doubt for sycamore as a tone wood, my opinion would be that it’s a tone. It can have a nice soft mellow tone, and if played can also have a very nice kick to it. The guitar is a Washburn D17E BR Timber Ridge and I believe it was built in 1992. It’s also an acoustic / electric, and when plugged in, the sound is just fantastic. So I’d have to say if you get the opportunity to pick up a washburn like this one, then I wouldn’t hesitate. And I’d also have to say if given the opportunity to pick up any sycamore piece, then you won’t be let down. Especially if the sides, and back are sycamore as well.

By: Richard Vance Clark

Richard Vance Clark — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 03:03:11 +0000

I am a luthier and I found this page from comments on another site.I have found all the statements quite interesting. I have built several guitars and a hand carved F mandolin with american sycamore. They have been some of the best sounding instruments I have made and I will go on making instruments with it. The quartersawn wood I have used looks like the best lepord wood or closer to snake skin with huge patterning and swirling. The colors have been in different colors of brown and sort of gray to several boards that were whiter than maple. The only problems I have had, have been in trying to bend too small a loop like on the curl of an F mandolin where the quartered grain wants to split out. That and when I carved the back of the mandolin and necks I lost the quartered look as you go off the quarter with a curved surface, as the pattern is in the quartered wood not through the wood like flame maple. Maybe I got lucky with getting the harder variety ans a better tone quality. I have stained some with good success and a variety of colors.

By: Dave Pannell

Dave Pannell — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 02:57:39 +0000

I am a woodturner, and an amateur luthier in the south eastern US. In my experience with sycamore, I have turned multiple bowls and hollow forms, and you get a feel for the different properties of it after a while. I had noticed after turning a hollow form, once it dried, that the acoustic properties of this wood is fantastic. This wood is beautiful, tough, and i think that it would be a marvelous choice for most stringed instruments. I will be making some hand drum shells in the near future, as i have about 12 trunk sections in my possession, all around 2 1/2′ dia x 5′ long. The poster above that could not believe sycamore has found it’s way into high end furniture or instruments, needs to read his history. This wood is excellent for furniture, and due to it’s figure when quartersawn, or turned, has been used for centuries by high end furniture builders. As a side note, it smells horrible when you work with it green, but is not noticeable when dry. Especially the heartwood, which is dark red/burgandy colored. The sapwood is fairly white, but still produces the distinctive rays.

By: John Forbus

John Forbus — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:49:08 +0000

If we limit ourselves to only the materials “Tradition” perceives to be acceptable as “Tone Wood” then I fear our heads and imaginations would as empty as many of the forests leveled daily. Not mention then I would have nothing I would enjoy doing. I think a good test to determine if a species would make a good tone wood is if it makes a sound when you fell it. If it doesn’t, it’s no good. If it does, the rest is up to you.

By: jack damico

jack damico — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:19:23 +0000

I never would have thought that this roadside swamp tree would have ever been used for anything other than fence posts and timber framing. I think that as a builder myself, living in central Maryland, people will try most any wood out there that has a reasonable hope for producing sound. It seems to me to be a sign of the times and an out growth of the new green culture. While it is necessary and true that we as builders need to be concerned with the future of tone woods in general and for future generations, I can not help to think that for the last several millennium of instrument makers in the world, There are certain woods that have always been used and done so for obvious reasons. they look good and produce instruments that sound good. As many fads in all walks of life will continue to come and go, so too it will be for musical instruments. It is just that as a builder and a professional furniture designer and custom builder, I never would have thought that sycamore would find its way into high end furniture or guitars.