Agathis? - ~R - 06:41 03-12-05
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Hey group,
So I see guitar companies are using this Agathis wood here and
there lately. What is it? Is it any good? Does anyone know the
tonal properties and how it compares to more traditional tone
woods?
I know we've been seeing alot of basswood guitars in recent
years, and I guess that's due to the availability in Asia. But I
haven't heard of Agathis. What's the scoop?
~Rob
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Re: Agathis? - tai fu - 07:20 03-12-05
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I hear its a type of plywood...
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Re: Agathis? - Steven Johnson - 09:49 03-12-05
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From the B.C. Rich website..
<snip>
What is Agathis wood?
Agathis is sometimes referred to as "commercial grade mahogany". It is
indigenous to the Far East and South Pacific areas.
<snip>
Hope this helps
SJ
--
"The road less traveled has 22 frets."
-Ted Nugent
"~R" <mo@fo.com> wrote in message
news:rvfkf.12540$aA2.5523@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> Hey group,
>
> So I see guitar companies are using this Agathis wood here and
> there lately. What is it? Is it any good? Does anyone know the
> tonal properties and how it compares to more traditional tone
> woods?
>
> I know we've been seeing alot of basswood guitars in recent
> years, and I guess that's due to the availability in Asia. But I
> haven't heard of Agathis. What's the scoop?
>
> ~Rob
>
>
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Re: Agathis? - tai fu - 10:28 03-12-05
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I think I have seen woods like this. They use it in Taiwan for everything,
framing and stuff. The problem I have with this wood is that its very
fragile, very splintery, and just looks cheap. Its no where as good as
honduran or african mahogany.
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Re: Agathis? - PolyMorf - 11:19 03-12-05
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~R wrote:
> Hey group,
>
> So I see guitar companies are using this Agathis wood here and
> there lately. What is it? Is it any good? Does anyone know the
> tonal properties and how it compares to more traditional tone
> woods?
>
> I know we've been seeing alot of basswood guitars in recent
> years, and I guess that's due to the availability in Asia. But I
> haven't heard of Agathis. What's the scoop?
>
> ~Rob
It is WIDELY available in Maylasia and is used on lower end
guitars. It is a very nice wood to work with for furniture joinery.
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Re: Agathis? - Tony Done - 15:00 03-12-05
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A quick internet search revealed that is a pine, also called kauri, related
to hoop pine, bunya pine and wollemi pine. Bunya is a good acoustic (but
ugly IMO) timber widely used in Oz for both tops and B&S of acoustic
guitars, agathis might be similar in tonal properties.
It is a plantation timber, so there are potentially no conservation issues,
and it is highly regarded as a structural and cabinet timber.
The top on my National Resophonic Estralita is veneered with agathis, and in
looks it could easily be mistaken for figured maple.From the description I
have read, it could, like high grade birch ply, be a good timber for resos,
but I don't know about other guitar applications. I wouldn't be prejudiced
against it from what little I know
Tony D
"~R" <mo@fo.com> wrote in message
news:rvfkf.12540$aA2.5523@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> Hey group,
>
> So I see guitar companies are using this Agathis wood here and
> there lately. What is it? Is it any good? Does anyone know the
> tonal properties and how it compares to more traditional tone
> woods?
>
> I know we've been seeing alot of basswood guitars in recent
> years, and I guess that's due to the availability in Asia. But I
> haven't heard of Agathis. What's the scoop?
>
> ~Rob
>
>
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~R wrote:
> Is it any good?
I've had two slab guitars made of agathis.
The first I picked because it sounded exceptional, had Real Voodoo,
beating out far more expensive guitars in that particular hunt for a
tool. Found out later it was agathis.
Don't have it anymore.
The second, I intentionally hoped to find, and did, a superb sounding
slab of agathis, based on great sound of that first. It received a
custom treatment from me and is probably my favorite guitar, overall,
to date.
To put that in context, first guitar in 1958, a share of Big Name high
$ guitars, including so called hand-made even higher $ custom, as well
as cheapies..
Perceptions are all over the place on agathis.
Mine come down to:
With the factories overseas, various woods previously not associated
with guitars in the states decades ago are being used. Agathis one of
them. Inexpensive in this particular case doesn't mean lousy across the
board.
Can get a dud in expensive wood. Can get a dud in plentiful inexpensive
wood from a neck of the woods (as in area of world, pun intended) that
is really putting out some great sounding gitfiddles.
My experience with agathis has been great.
That a great sounding guitar can be had in it at a low cost is sign of
the time(s).
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Re: Agathis? - jtees4 - 20:02 03-12-05
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On Sat, 03 Dec 2005 11:41:11 GMT, "~R" <mo@fo.com> wrote:
>Hey group,
>
>So I see guitar companies are using this Agathis wood here and
>there lately. What is it? Is it any good? Does anyone know the
>tonal properties and how it compares to more traditional tone
>woods?
>
>I know we've been seeing alot of basswood guitars in recent
>years, and I guess that's due to the availability in Asia. But I
>haven't heard of Agathis. What's the scoop?
>
>~Rob
>
It is pine. I think many people here are confusing it with Nato.
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Re: Agathis? - Grumpy - 18:20 04-12-05
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"~R" <mo@fo.com> wrote in news:rvfkf.12540$aA2.5523
@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net:
> So I see guitar companies are using this Agathis wood here and
> there lately.
In general, those are low-end guitars, right? But yeah, cheap wood doesn't
mean bad wood. At least it's not plywood.
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