Myrtlewood...

[Lewguitar]

When I visited Starrs Guitars to pick up my PRS HDRX 20 amp, Candice showed me some new acoustic guitars (not PRS unfortunately) made from Myrtlewood.

Top, back and sides, all solid Myrtlewood. Apparently Myrtlewood grows on the California and Oregon coast.

What a sound!

Not every guitar I played blew me away but several were simply spectacular!

The sound was loud, deep and very articulate.

The bass notes were deep and full but with a clear percussive "twang" on top that was very appealing.

The one I loved most was $2800. Not cheap.

But it had me thinking about what guitars in my stash I could sell to buy it.

It seems to take stains in a really interesting way. It's kind of bland looking unstained, but stained and colored it's gorgeous.

 

[jxe]

myrtlewood is all over the place out here, there's a gallery down the street that sells wood for furniture and bowl turning [https://myrtlewoodgallery.com/product-category/wood/], no guitars though.

 

[Lewguitar]

myrtlewood is all over the place out here, there's a gallery down the street that sells wood for furniture and bowl turning [https://myrtlewoodgallery.com/product-category/wood/], no guitars though.

Yep. The guitars were made in Oregon.

 

[Greywolf]

I have a one of 10 Myrtlewood Mandolin from Weber "the Metolious " great tone and nice figure . Warmer than maple

 

[Lewguitar]

I have a one of 10 Myrtlewood Mandolin from Weber "the Metolious " great tone and nice figure . Warmer than maple

That was my impression. Articulate like maple but deeper and fuller sounding with a nice twang on top.

I'm looking around for something to sell.

I'd like to have that ax I played yesterday.

 

[11top]

Myrtlewood can be exceptionally beautiful. Here is the back of my Thorn from some burl I took to Ron:



The first Myrtlewood PRS was made for me from a billet I took to Paul years ago. I don’t have the guitar any longer, but maybe I can find a pic.

 

[Lewguitar]

Myrtlewood can be exceptionally beautiful. Here is the back of my Thorn from some burl I took to Ron:



The first Myrtlewood PRS was made for me from a billet I took to Paul years ago. I don’t have the guitar any longer, but maybe I can find a pic.

I know it's technically a hardwood since it has leaves and not needles.

But is it hard?

Because they're using it to make tops from. Not just the back and sides.

I'm used to seeing spruce, cedar and sometimes redwood for tops.

But yesterday the best sounding guitar I played was made entirely from Myrtlewood.

Maybe not the neck, but the entire body.

 

[11top]

I know it's technically a hardwood since it has leaves and not needles.

But is it hard?

Because they're using it to make tops from. Not just the back and sides.

I'm used to seeing spruce, cedar and sometimes redwood for tops.

But yesterday the best sounding guitar I played was made entirely from Myrtlewood.

Maybe not the neck, but the entire body.

It‘s hard.

It’s surprising what sounds good sometimes.

I had this built using a solid claro walnut top. It‘s surprising that a top this figured would hold up under the stress on an acoustic, but this one did. A few years back, I had Hansomatic over and we pulled out the acoustics. He thought this was the best sounding guitar that day.

 

[11top]

Back to Myrtlewood, this is an exceptionally figured acoustic set. Unfortunately, one builder attempted to use it, and the back exploded under pressure.



Years later, I had the surviving sides used for this:



^ English walnut top, btw.

 

[jxe]

damn steve!!

 

[11top]

damn steve!!

Jxe, I hope you meant to put a comma in there.




or……..maybe you didn’t.

 

[jxe]

Jxe, I hope you meant to put a comma in there.




or……..maybe you didn’t.

i did, a cat is on my keyboard..

 

[alantig]

It‘s hard.

It’s surprising what sounds good sometimes.

I had this built using a solid claro walnut top. It‘s surprising that a top this figured would hold up under the stress on an acoustic, but this one did. A few years back, I had Hansomatic over and we pulled out the acoustics. He thought this was the best sounding guitar that day.

Not enough love emoticons for this. I love Larrivee guitars.

 

[Lewguitar]

Back to Myrtlewood, this is an exceptionally figured acoustic set. Unfortunately, one builder attempted to use it, and the back exploded under pressure.



Years later, I had the surviving sides used for this:



^ English walnut top, btw.

The Myrtlewood guitars I played all had exotic stains that just exploded with grain and color. But they also had some with natural finishes and those looked surprisingly bland to me. Those guitars you have are gorgeous!

Myrtlewood is being touted as a renewable, non endangered species of wood for guitars.

Is it fast growing?

Or just recently discovered as a tone wood so that the trees have not all been chopped down yet?

In any case it's a fabulous tone wood from what I heard.

I have three Klon KTR's new in boxes I'm thinking selling to get one.

 

[Greywolf]

Regarding it's hardness , it's 1,270 lbf on the Janka scale , similar to

South Amer. Mahogany at 1200, softer than Sapele 1410, Curly Hard Maple 1450​

​

 

[Lewguitar]

Regarding it's hardness , it's 1,270 lbf on the Janka scale , similar to

South Amer. Mahogany at 1200, softer than Sapele 1410, Curly Hard Maple 1450​

​

I would expect it to be fairly hard because the tops on the guitars I fell in love with appeared to be thinner than the spruce tops I'm used to seeing.

 

[Greywolf]

It is plenty hard, and I love it on the Mandolin , along with the Port Orford Cedar top it imparts a much fuller tone. Cedar is used in nylon/gut and is only 900 ! softer but oh the tone. Really a Master Luthier can turn a huge variety of non traditional woods into stunning masterpieces , some of the new bracing patterns and materials have opened things up . The challenge we all face is getting pretty tonewood that is sustainable . Taylor has done great work in this area for Koa and Ebony .

 

[László]

Myrtlewood can be exceptionally beautiful. Here is the back of my Thorn from some burl I took to Ron:



The first Myrtlewood PRS was made for me from a billet I took to Paul years ago. I don’t have the guitar any longer, but maybe I can find a pic.

That's gorgeous. Do you still have it?

 

[11top]

That's gorgeous. Do you still have it?

Yep

 

[Chicken hawk]

I have a one of 10 Myrtlewood Mandolin from Weber "the Metolious " great tone and nice figure . Warmer than maple

Named after the majestic Metolius River. A beautiful mandolin that is rightfully named