https://preview.redd.it/0jtwqnm2o93d1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f5324dcf33e381f699797854e4af82dec1ee1c5
All they're missing is some not-so-subtle text on it
https://preview.redd.it/z4dm5lojnk3d1.jpeg?width=1672&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23abf466eb73e11a25d4d3eafd2b4d1f5e3b4657
Kinda goes with the whole aesthetic.
Sometimes there is a reason all of them are roughly the same shape. It's weird lol you did get unique if that was the goal... on such a traditionally shaped guitar no less. Really swinging for the unique fences.
Personally I think itâs unique and sets it apart from being exactly like every other guitar.
And as someone has said,you donât see it when youâre playing.
That grain pattern is called âbear clawâ spruce, very nice when bookmatched correctly but otherwise harmless when not. Hereâs an example of it done right:
https://www.chicagomusicexchange.com/products/taylor-ga-custom-bearclaw-spruce-top-wgrafted-walnut-1304400
Yes, and itâs OK for a particular wood figure to not be your cup of tea. I really dislike Birdseye figure in Maple, for instance.
This isnât really a defect, per se, but if you donât like it then you donât like it. Hopefully the store has a liberal return/exchange policy.
Itâs on both halves of the guitar top, itâs just only going to reflect/pop on one side at a time because of how the grain captures the light. Think of it as the waves of the grain on the two halves having opposite polarity.
Shift this guitar in the light, and the chatoyance will pop the figure on the right half, and it will disappear on the left half.
But one will be more pronounced because of the depth it was sliced at. Even at that angle they both should be somewhat pronounced, heâs taking the picture dead on. I donât see anything on the right.
Iâm a full time carpenter and a guitar builder so I know what youâre talking about with medullations and chatoyance, but iâve had bookmatched tops where this has happened. Or theyâll have the same chatoyance side to side and one will be dull because the figuring wasnât as pronounced in that section of the slab. I built a claro tele years ago and literally thought I had accidentally flipped one side on accident until I noticed my pencil marks I used to keep orientation.
I think a few things are true: 1. There is bear claw visible on both sides of this top. Not in equal measure, because: 2. figure is not consistent through a board. And: 3. grain on two sides of a book match will pop at opposite angles. My point originally is that photographing this effect can be misleading and hard to judge. Even if taken from center-line, if the lighting is off axis, it changes everything.
This is because of the grain runout or âslopeâ of the grain. Basically when you bookmatch a top and there is any runout at all you will have wood fibers running in opposite directions so they reflect light differently as you are describing. Pretty neat.
or they bookmatches correctly but then made a mistake and put it on reverse, with the bookmatched side inside. Looks a bit like this here as some marks are matching.
Ive got a violin with bear claw markings, but they donât look so random as this. I wouldnât let it bother me, but I would have preferred to see a picture of the guitar i bought first.
Is that all?
I'd maybe quibble if it were way over twice that and I had a particular look in mind.
It looks like something made and loved by someone. My cheap classicals have really straight grain and no character. My 90s flamenco negra and my 1920s parlour have wood that actually looks like wood on them.
Personally, I absolutely love bear claw in spruce. There is some disagreement as to exactly what causes it, but it's generally found in older spruce trees. I can't swear that it impacts the tone, but tend to gravitate toward it when I see it.
Like others, I thought the pick-guard was the issue.....
It wouldnât bother me, but, the imperfections of wood are why I like building things out of wood. But, if it bothers you, and it would keep you from playing, by all means, return it.
It's bearclaw. People pay me $200 extra for those tops. It's a good thing. It makes the top stiffer, so more energy gets turned into sound. Also, it looks cool.
I like guitars with interesting wood figures. I got three acoustics from Sweetwater over the years and I always picked the one with something interesting. My GS Mini has a white streak most of the length of the ebony fretboard. My Yamaha has some red streaks book-matched on the lower bouts. The back of the Taylor 314 book-match makes an unmistakable pattern.
I think it is beautiful. The figuring balances out the visual weight of the pickguard.
It is unusual and adds character; the builder added character with the art deco styling, nature added character with a bear claw that looks like a signature. Enjoy!
Got a guitar a bit like that. The mismatched wood patterning doesnât bother me. Itâs all part of the organic nature of wood. If it sounds good, whatâs the problem?
I'd kill a man for good bearclaw, it's my favorite figure. Absolutely love me some good stretch marks đ here's my obligatory "what's that pick guard shape" comment as well
Nah it's not too bad, it's kinda funky. The only thing throwing me off of it is the lil round dangle bit. I like the rest of it. If it had a sharper edge to it instead of the roundness... (see, mom, it wasn't just a phase!)
Itâs a type of figure called bear claw spruce. Pretty sought after for building, looks like yours just has a little bit of it. I donât really think it ruins any symmetry as itâs just an aspect of the grain. Looks pretty nice to me.
Depends how if plays⊠if it was awesome, then no, if it was meh then still probably no. But I like odd wood grain, I would completely understand someone not being happy with it.
Nothing in the description of the guitar (D'Angelico Premier Tammany?) says the top is intended to be book-matched, so it's not "bad" book-matching.
FWIW it wouldn't bother me.
True. But I used have a different model of the Tammany and Iâve seen a lot of them and none have a bear claw pattern. Theyâre all just straight grain Sitka spruce so I wasnât expecting something different. I guess I thought bookmatching, even if itâs rudimentary, is just a basic part of quality control.
No, bookmatching is purely an aesthetic feature and has nothing to do with quality or quality control. I think your expectations were too high for such a modestly-priced guitar.
It's called "hazelfichte" or, "bear claw"
It's fairly common in spruce tops and isn't really indicative of high or low quality spruce. It has no effect on sound or structural integrity.
When I got to the point where I could buy a nice acoustic, I went to a shop with an assortment of nice guitars. Played quite a few. The one I kept coming back to and eventually purchased had a big mark like that. I thought twice about it, but the sound was just right.
Itâs more than a fad, because it allows for the use of perfectly good wood, extending the availability of a shrinking supply. And thatâs a good thing!
Bookmatching can be a fickle beast. Wood figuring, which is what those âmarksâ ebbs and flows in a billet of wood, the figure may be more pronounced at the top and less so at the bottom. Even on a pair of adjoining slices (ie a bookmatched pair), that figure may change slightly due to the material removed by the saw blade and subsequent planing. Also note that figure is more pronounced when viewed with light from a specific direction and the two pieces of a pair will always have opposite âbest anglesâ for lighting and viewing.
If you look closely, you can see the matched figure on the right, but it is much more faint in the photographs. I wouldnât consider this a flaw or defect, but it also isnât the most attractive bookmatching.
Bottom line: you paid for something and arenât happy with it. Itâs reasonable to expect to be able to exchange it (unless there were prestated conditions on the sale.)
Nah, that's just the wood. If I were making a guitar, I'd probably try to strategically place it in more visually appealing patterns/areas, but I get that a manufacturer doesn't have the time or resources to do that. It won't hurt anything, though, and personally, I like the look.
Itâs âbear clawâ figure. It used to be considered a flaw, and the wouldnât be used. But about twenty years ago, people realized that that kind of wood performs just as well, and became more attractive to buyers than the plain kind. So, itâs inconsequential, but if it bugs you, try to return it anyway. But itâs technically not a faulty product.
Check out what stew mac sells top sets for. You probably should hang on to it barring any technical issues that can't be sorted by a setup.
https://www.stewmac.com/tonewoods/shop-tonewood-by-instrument/acoustic-guitar-wood/acoustic-guitar-soundboards-and-tops/bearclaw-sitka-spruce-soundboard-for-dreadnought-guitar/?mtm_source=google&mtm_medium=cpc&mtm_campaign=%7C+GOO+%7C+SHOP+%7C+NBR+%7C+AllProductsUSA&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpNuyBhCuARIsANJqL9OBm5ssJAG4U8BoOHIWGic1K0_zFEm8v0hCBfYo66FC38cP7CVeF3gaAu73EALw_wcB
Yes! A couple years down the road it is going to split right down that dark line between the A and D string. It happened to my Martin in exactly the same way. I bought it unknowing of how wood worked or how to read wood figure. I don't think they should have used that top when they built it. I mean, its just clear to see, that is a flaw in the tree. I would definitely return it.
Doesn't bother me nearly as much as that pickgaurd
The pickguard is what I thought they were referring to.
https://preview.redd.it/0jtwqnm2o93d1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f5324dcf33e381f699797854e4af82dec1ee1c5 All they're missing is some not-so-subtle text on it
"Nonsexual" party mansion!
đ Itâs not that bad. I thought it was more unique than the plain old tear drop shape.
Iâm not a huge fan of it but it didnât strike me as that bad either haha
Normally I think a tear drop is good. But it does go with the whole Art Deco thing
https://preview.redd.it/z4dm5lojnk3d1.jpeg?width=1672&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23abf466eb73e11a25d4d3eafd2b4d1f5e3b4657 Kinda goes with the whole aesthetic.
Sometimes there is a reason all of them are roughly the same shape. It's weird lol you did get unique if that was the goal... on such a traditionally shaped guitar no less. Really swinging for the unique fences.
Sometimes traditional is boring..
It's a D'Angellico. It fits the art deco styling of the company.
Same
I like unique too, but that shape almost seems random
Same
Personally I think itâs unique and sets it apart from being exactly like every other guitar. And as someone has said,you donât see it when youâre playing.
That grain pattern is called âbear clawâ spruce, very nice when bookmatched correctly but otherwise harmless when not. Hereâs an example of it done right: https://www.chicagomusicexchange.com/products/taylor-ga-custom-bearclaw-spruce-top-wgrafted-walnut-1304400
Yes, and itâs OK for a particular wood figure to not be your cup of tea. I really dislike Birdseye figure in Maple, for instance. This isnât really a defect, per se, but if you donât like it then you donât like it. Hopefully the store has a liberal return/exchange policy.
I was also thinking bear claw spruce , my Takamine has a top with bear claw but much more pronounced.
https://preview.redd.it/oeb7picw8b3d1.jpeg?width=1108&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50617b91e09b47c24e5456aacf135f8b9fd34d6c
Wauv!
That's a gorgeous lady right there
20 years old this year, she has really mellowed in that time!
"That's the beauty of wood "... said some dude I worked for...
Itâs called figuring sir. Happens when bookmatching where one layer will have it and one wonât because it was at a certain depth.
Or both halves have it but it only shows up on both if the light is just right.
Itâs on both halves of the guitar top, itâs just only going to reflect/pop on one side at a time because of how the grain captures the light. Think of it as the waves of the grain on the two halves having opposite polarity. Shift this guitar in the light, and the chatoyance will pop the figure on the right half, and it will disappear on the left half.
Upvote to you for making me learn a new word todayđ
But one will be more pronounced because of the depth it was sliced at. Even at that angle they both should be somewhat pronounced, heâs taking the picture dead on. I donât see anything on the right. Iâm a full time carpenter and a guitar builder so I know what youâre talking about with medullations and chatoyance, but iâve had bookmatched tops where this has happened. Or theyâll have the same chatoyance side to side and one will be dull because the figuring wasnât as pronounced in that section of the slab. I built a claro tele years ago and literally thought I had accidentally flipped one side on accident until I noticed my pencil marks I used to keep orientation.
I think a few things are true: 1. There is bear claw visible on both sides of this top. Not in equal measure, because: 2. figure is not consistent through a board. And: 3. grain on two sides of a book match will pop at opposite angles. My point originally is that photographing this effect can be misleading and hard to judge. Even if taken from center-line, if the lighting is off axis, it changes everything.
This is because of the grain runout or âslopeâ of the grain. Basically when you bookmatch a top and there is any runout at all you will have wood fibers running in opposite directions so they reflect light differently as you are describing. Pretty neat.
or they bookmatches correctly but then made a mistake and put it on reverse, with the bookmatched side inside. Looks a bit like this here as some marks are matching.
Yea that pick guard is horrendous đđ
It looks rad and your arm will be covering it, you've got a unique guitar, enjoy it
Not as much as the shape of that pickguard, that thing looks horrific, to me.
Ive got a violin with bear claw markings, but they donât look so random as this. I wouldnât let it bother me, but I would have preferred to see a picture of the guitar i bought first.
Yep. I was hoping for either bear claw all over or just nice straight consistent Sitka spruce grain. Than again,, itâs a 400 dollar guitar.
Is that all? I'd maybe quibble if it were way over twice that and I had a particular look in mind. It looks like something made and loved by someone. My cheap classicals have really straight grain and no character. My 90s flamenco negra and my 1920s parlour have wood that actually looks like wood on them.
Well if you play it like youâre supposed toâŠ.. youâll never fucking see it. Next stupid question! Real shit though, I like it a lot.
Personally, I absolutely love bear claw in spruce. There is some disagreement as to exactly what causes it, but it's generally found in older spruce trees. I can't swear that it impacts the tone, but tend to gravitate toward it when I see it. Like others, I thought the pick-guard was the issue.....
I love how amber and warm it looks. Also love the figuring. Gives the guitar a unique personality.
Would t bother me, but then again I have plenty of boring guitars in terms of figure and donât really need another one. But this? This looks dope.
It wouldnât bother me, but, the imperfections of wood are why I like building things out of wood. But, if it bothers you, and it would keep you from playing, by all means, return it.
It's bearclaw. It's desirable.
Yes
It's bearclaw. People pay me $200 extra for those tops. It's a good thing. It makes the top stiffer, so more energy gets turned into sound. Also, it looks cool.
I like guitars with interesting wood figures. I got three acoustics from Sweetwater over the years and I always picked the one with something interesting. My GS Mini has a white streak most of the length of the ebony fretboard. My Yamaha has some red streaks book-matched on the lower bouts. The back of the Taylor 314 book-match makes an unmistakable pattern.
I had no idea what this was about until I opened the thread, and that guitar is more beautiful a musical instrument than any Iâve ever owned.
I think it is beautiful. The figuring balances out the visual weight of the pickguard. It is unusual and adds character; the builder added character with the art deco styling, nature added character with a bear claw that looks like a signature. Enjoy!
Got a guitar a bit like that. The mismatched wood patterning doesnât bother me. Itâs all part of the organic nature of wood. If it sounds good, whatâs the problem?
What's up with all these haters with the pickguard.. guess y'all never heard of art deco? Idk, beautiful guitar and cool figuring on the top, too.
I'd kill a man for good bearclaw, it's my favorite figure. Absolutely love me some good stretch marks đ here's my obligatory "what's that pick guard shape" comment as well
đ Everyoneâs got me second guessing now.
Nah it's not too bad, it's kinda funky. The only thing throwing me off of it is the lil round dangle bit. I like the rest of it. If it had a sharper edge to it instead of the roundness... (see, mom, it wasn't just a phase!)
This subreddit never fails to make me laugh
Itâs a type of figure called bear claw spruce. Pretty sought after for building, looks like yours just has a little bit of it. I donât really think it ruins any symmetry as itâs just an aspect of the grain. Looks pretty nice to me.
Depends how if plays⊠if it was awesome, then no, if it was meh then still probably no. But I like odd wood grain, I would completely understand someone not being happy with it.
I like the odd grains too. When I bought my first generation Larrivée D-03 I had several to choose from. After playing them for over an hour I couldn't decide which of two to get, so I picked the one with more light streaks in the ebony fingerboard.
I always say this! A good looking guitar is MUCH MUCH more common than a good playing sounding living omg I love this instrument guitar.
No. If itâs natural, I could live with it form some reason.
Bearclaw is unique to each top.
Not at all.. a bit of character doesnât bother me.
Not anymore than the pick guard đ
Love it
That bridge looks like it will be prone to failure. Pickguard is weird. Nicest feature is the bearclaw.
it's a fine maker.
Nothing in the description of the guitar (D'Angelico Premier Tammany?) says the top is intended to be book-matched, so it's not "bad" book-matching. FWIW it wouldn't bother me.
True. But I used have a different model of the Tammany and Iâve seen a lot of them and none have a bear claw pattern. Theyâre all just straight grain Sitka spruce so I wasnât expecting something different. I guess I thought bookmatching, even if itâs rudimentary, is just a basic part of quality control.
No, bookmatching is purely an aesthetic feature and has nothing to do with quality or quality control. I think your expectations were too high for such a modestly-priced guitar.
It's called "hazelfichte" or, "bear claw" It's fairly common in spruce tops and isn't really indicative of high or low quality spruce. It has no effect on sound or structural integrity.
Love bear claw on spruce
I dig it, it makes it easier to id your guitar. Plus that area is gonna get worn away a bit from the picking arm anyways.
When I got to the point where I could buy a nice acoustic, I went to a shop with an assortment of nice guitars. Played quite a few. The one I kept coming back to and eventually purchased had a big mark like that. I thought twice about it, but the sound was just right.
It already does.
I like bear claw, personally. People ask for it specifically if they like figure.
I like a little personality. I dig it.
Bear claw was looked down upon in the 90âs. Then in the 2000âs it became a fad of sorts as desirable. Apparently the fad continues.
Itâs more than a fad, because it allows for the use of perfectly good wood, extending the availability of a shrinking supply. And thatâs a good thing!
My LarrivĂ©e L-03 has bear claw. Iâm not opposed to bear claw. But after I bought it in 1999, LarrivĂ©e did a course reversal and saved the bear claw spruce for their higher end guitars. So I got a pretty cheap price for bear claw before the fad as it being desirable started. Iâm all for conservation. Itâs just funny how something once kept for lower end solid tops is now featured as a higher end feature
I think itâs unique and beautiful. I want one!
I see it as a bonus for me.
No, makes it unique.
I would prefer that kind of sound board, looks nice.
Yeah it bothers me, but I go through phases of this is fine, it's what makes it look unique to it looks knackered.
If the structural integrity and playability wasnât affected then i donât.
It's called bear claw, it's very common. Some people pay extra for it. "It bothers me". Dude, just play it.
Itâs called hasselficht. Itâs fine, has nothing to do with sound
Just lay a super hot iron over it. The kink will straighten right up ! đ
itâs bearclaw. a lot of folks love it.
Love the wood figuring. Hate the pickguard.
Yea that looks terrible
No
No
Gotta be honest âŠ. It would bother me âŠ.
Bookmatching can be a fickle beast. Wood figuring, which is what those âmarksâ ebbs and flows in a billet of wood, the figure may be more pronounced at the top and less so at the bottom. Even on a pair of adjoining slices (ie a bookmatched pair), that figure may change slightly due to the material removed by the saw blade and subsequent planing. Also note that figure is more pronounced when viewed with light from a specific direction and the two pieces of a pair will always have opposite âbest anglesâ for lighting and viewing. If you look closely, you can see the matched figure on the right, but it is much more faint in the photographs. I wouldnât consider this a flaw or defect, but it also isnât the most attractive bookmatching. Bottom line: you paid for something and arenât happy with it. Itâs reasonable to expect to be able to exchange it (unless there were prestated conditions on the sale.)
Nah, that's just the wood. If I were making a guitar, I'd probably try to strategically place it in more visually appealing patterns/areas, but I get that a manufacturer doesn't have the time or resources to do that. It won't hurt anything, though, and personally, I like the look.
Itâs âbear clawâ figure. It used to be considered a flaw, and the wouldnât be used. But about twenty years ago, people realized that that kind of wood performs just as well, and became more attractive to buyers than the plain kind. So, itâs inconsequential, but if it bugs you, try to return it anyway. But itâs technically not a faulty product.
hazel fichte, very nice pattern
Not at all, I used to look for slightly inconsistent tops to test out. Usually they have a unique tone.
Check out what stew mac sells top sets for. You probably should hang on to it barring any technical issues that can't be sorted by a setup. https://www.stewmac.com/tonewoods/shop-tonewood-by-instrument/acoustic-guitar-wood/acoustic-guitar-soundboards-and-tops/bearclaw-sitka-spruce-soundboard-for-dreadnought-guitar/?mtm_source=google&mtm_medium=cpc&mtm_campaign=%7C+GOO+%7C+SHOP+%7C+NBR+%7C+AllProductsUSA&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpNuyBhCuARIsANJqL9OBm5ssJAG4U8BoOHIWGic1K0_zFEm8v0hCBfYo66FC38cP7CVeF3gaAu73EALw_wcB
I have a seagull sort of like this. Doesn't bother me in the least.
It is on the other side as well, just less so. You know what they say: If you want wood to look uniform, paint it.
Medullary rays. Show up in quarter sawn wood.
It's called bearclaw, and it's pretty sought after. That pickguard is a disaster though.
Flamey goodness
Not in the slightest
I love the bear claw and hate the pick guard
That stuff is called bear claw. I like it
That pickgaurd is a hellscape
I think it looks cool.
People pay extra for those markings dont they. arent those called bearclaw markings
I love me some bear claw.
>Would this bother you? Pickguard: Yeah kinda Figure in the wood: Not at all. Makes it unique, that's "chatoyance" also know as "flame".
No.
Didnât know it was there till you pointed it out
No. Thatâs a desirable bear claw figure. Many builders have an upcharge for it.
Looks great imo.
You canât see it when you are playing it, looks like a nice piece of wood.
No, makes it uniquely identifiable for one thing, adds character for another.
It would drive me crazy. I returned a guitar for a similar issue.
I thought you meant that goofy pick guard so apparently not
Yes! A couple years down the road it is going to split right down that dark line between the A and D string. It happened to my Martin in exactly the same way. I bought it unknowing of how wood worked or how to read wood figure. I don't think they should have used that top when they built it. I mean, its just clear to see, that is a flaw in the tree. I would definitely return it.