Book match question..

[Harry Brookes]

If the wood is split open..filet if you will, why does the grain not match from center out on both pieces?
Just curious..Harry

 

[AP515]

The width of the blade making the cut takes some of the grain with it.

 

[BrianC]

This is a BIG deal to me. I understand the above reasoning. It seems to me though the matching is worse over the past several years than it was years ago.

I have seen PS's that do not line up. This is a no go for me, so much so that if I were to do a PS I might have to go with a one piece top. The other option is to buy one already done that I do not spec - this also seems to be a NO go for me.

I would not buy a guitar where the top does not line up, I would keep looking.

 

[11top]

The figure does not travel evenly through the board. However, some does travel through better than others. So, as the carve takes place, and some material is removed, the figure is also not going to line up. The best way to predict a good book match is to look at both sides of the board and the edges to see if the figure goes through the board with some consistency. Ever notice how spalt rarely book matches well? It's because the fungus does not run through the board/wood evenly. Conversely, ever notice how many "bent top" book matches seem to be more in line (than carved tops)? It's because there is no carve to take away material, only a thin cut, and you're dealing with a much thinner board overall in the first place (less travel for the figure).

I suppose some like 1 piece carved tops for this reason, but aesthetically, I much prefer a really good book match.

 

[Serious Poo]

Lots of reasons... Saw blade width, sanding and finishing all take material from the top when it’s split in half. Also, as @11top correctly pointed out wood grain isn’t always vertical to the grain as it’s displayed on the top, so it will show up as a gap or misalignment. Then there’s also the stain used and whether the wood has a high degree of sap content, which can cause bookmatches to not show up quite right after staining.

For whatever reason, I’ve never really been bothered by this and have bookmatched tops with a wide variety of tightness.

FWIW to me “pretty is as pretty does” so tone, sustain and playability are more important to me than whether a top is perfectly bookmatched.

 

[Rhythmisking]

The figure does not travel evenly through the board. However, some does travel through better than others. So, as the carve takes place, and some material is removed, the figure is also not going to line up. The best way to predict a good book match is to look at both sides of the board and the edges to see if the figure goes through the board with some consistency. Ever notice how spalt rarely book matches well? It's because the fungus does not run through the board/wood evenly. Conversely, ever notice how many "bent top" book matches seem to be more in line (than carved tops)? It's because there is no carve to take away material, only a thin cut, and you're dealing with a much thinner board overall in the first place (less travel for the figure).

I suppose some like 1 piece carved tops for this reason, but aesthetically, I much prefer a really good book match.

Which is exactly why the most perfect bookmatching happens with veneer...

 

[Guitpicky]

PRS is a lot better at bookmatching than Gibson. Half the LP tops out there don’t even look like they came from the same tree, let alone the same slab of maple. Oddly enough my LP Custom is matched better than my 594 WL, but it’s because the figuring on my 594 is wildly chaotic. Kind of in between a quilt and flame. My LPC has the narrower “fiddleback” type grain pattern. I’m a bit of a stickler about it too. I realize it’s natural wood and unpredictable once you start removing layers, but it’s got to look like someone at least made the effort

 

[Axis39]

If the grain goes left on one slab, it goes right on the other. Hopefully that makes sense... I'll try to explain what I mean.

Part of what happens when the pieces are perfectly flat and bookmatched is that you are missing the saw kerf, and any wood required to flatten the piece after resawing (the blade kerf will be too rough to use as a finished surface). So, if the grain is curvy, then you are missing a tiny bit of the curve... If it's curving in several different directions, well... that's more and more surface that won't match up perfectly.

Put a carve on the top, and you are pushing further and further away from the matched up grain.

But, I see a lot of guys complaining when they get a perfectly matched top, but it looks almost like it's offset by the width of the flame or quilt. It really isn't but the grain is basically running away in opposite directions. The light reflecting off the grain ends reflects opposite. So people think it's not matched, when actually, that's a perfect match.

 

[Mozzi]

It really isn't but the grain is basically running away in opposite directions. The light reflecting off the grain ends reflects opposite

To explain this another way, if you think of it like tin foil - top side Shiny and the bottom matte, when you slice through a slab of maple and open it up, the top most side (Shiny) makes the top on one half and the other half ends up with top (shiny) side facing down as you 'flip' it open (or matte side facing up). Unless the grain is perfectly perpendicular to the saw cut, when you flip the top cut, you also flip the angle of the grain and how that angle catches and reflects light.

Of course there is also a certain amount removed between the two parts by the saw, the carve and finish sanding too so that also makes it more difficult to get a 'perfect' book match with Solid maple carved tops.

If you are just slicing off virtually Paper thin sheets for veneers, its much easier to get a 'perfect' book match even if one half is top side up, the other bottom side up - but that too can explain why its not always 'perfectly' aligned. Its barely sanded too and certainly not carved as its too easy to sand through the thin veneer...

 

[88prs]

It's not just the saw blade width that offsets the grain. If you watch the manufacturing videos, PRS then goes on to plane both sides of the top removing more wood from each side so there is more than just a saw blade width removed. PRS does sell 1 piece tops occasionally which I think are really cool.

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Ooooooooh, good stuff...My flame preference is a really tight flame, and I don't mind if it doesn't match perfectly in the center...
If there's really skinny, tight flame lines (oy, what a descriptor??) that are dark, light, dark, light, etc...I kinda like when the dark line matches against a light line in the middle.
Color me crazy!!!!

 

[Axis39]

Ooooooooh, good stuff...My flame preference is a really tight flame, and I don't mind if it doesn't match perfectly in the center...
If there's really skinny, tight flame lines (oy, what a descriptor??) that are dark, light, dark, light, etc...I kinda like when the dark line matches against a light line in the middle.
Color me crazy!!!!

When they match like that, the book match is correct. It is nice, from the manufacturing side of things, when that kinda thing works out.

 

[BrianC]

Lots of reasons... Saw blade width, sanding and finishing all take material from the top when it’s split in half. Also, as @11top correctly pointed out wood grain isn’t always vertical to the grain as it’s displayed on the top, so it will show up as a gap or misalignment. Then there’s also the stain used and whether the wood has a high degree of sap content, which can cause bookmatches to not show up quite right after staining.

For whatever reason, I’ve never really been bothered by this and have bookmatched tops with a wide variety of tightness.

FWIW to me “pretty is as pretty does” so tone, sustain and playability are more important to me than whether a top is perfectly bookmatched.

FWIW - I say I deserve BOTH tone AND pretty. Seriously why would anybody not want both???

 

[Mozzi]

FWIW - I say I deserve BOTH tone AND pretty. Seriously why would anybody not want both???

I totally agree....

However, what 1 person considers 'pretty' - another doesn't. I don't like seeing Stained Maple Back Plates on a relatively plain back - its only OK if the back is stained maple and the back plates then match the back. I don't like Opaque finishes, covering up the natural beauty of wood or relic guitars as to me they look 'trashed', uncared for and in need of some TLC. But I appreciate that to others, those things may well be their idea of 'pretty'.

I obviously buy with my 'eyes' to a large extent. If I have a choice of guitars within a specific model line, I will buy the Red. If there are more than 1 Red version, I will buy the one that I like the grain pattern the most. At least with PRS and their consistency, I know its still going to be a superb high quality instrument so any 'compromise' to buy the red one is minimal if any compromise at all.

I know there are people that will buy a guitar because it gives them the tone they need first and foremost - like buying a 'Tele' because that's what they need more than whether or not they like the aesthetics so again, different people have different priorities and preferences - but for me, I want both Tone AND Pretty...

 

[Serious Poo]

FWIW - I say I deserve BOTH tone AND pretty. Seriously why would anybody not want both???

Priorities?