Mike's Oud Forums

Alaska Specialty Woods

freya - 9-17-2011 at 06:16 PM

I just got a shipment of Sitka Spruce and Western Red Cedar from Alaska Specialty Woods (http://alaskawoods.com/). I must say I'm very impressed at the initial tap tone of the woods and the relatively low price (especially if you live in the US and can use the low cost Parcel Post shipping). Once I get a few tops put together and on some oud bodies I have lying around, I'll report back on the results.

For the sake of inclusiveness I also include this link that lists many other wood suppliers: http://www.coneguitar.com/tonewood.html

bulerias1981 - 9-17-2011 at 08:12 PM

I'm curious about this myself. How many grain per inch did you receive?

freya - 9-18-2011 at 11:15 AM

It's going to be very dependent on the grade of the top. The AA Bearclaw Sitka I got is very dense at the joined seam (20-30mil )per ringline and wider out near the edge (30-40 mil). The AA cedar was closer to 40-50mil throughout. The A jumbo Sitka probably gets to ~75 mil out near the edge (but that top is nearly 19 inches wide when joined).

It's easy to get to the boss if you give them a call and I found him very helpful. I'm sure he could provide specifics.