Tone Wood Question

[Dub]

Fiddlerina needs your help.

She is looking at some bowed psaltries online. They are offered with several different tone woods as sound boards and she would like help making a choice.

The woods offered are spruce, walnut, cherry, and mahogany. I explained which woods are commonly used on acoustic instruments: guitars, violins, pianos, etc., and what I know about the tonal properties of each.

The thing is that a bowed psaltry is a very trebly sounding instrument and is in a higher register than most other instruments. Which of the offered woods will provide a rich, loud voice without being annoyingly shrill as often happens with these instruments?

I was guessing that mahogany might sound better than spruce in this situation but I'm only guessing.

Any thoughts?

[epaul]

Yes.

What the hell is a bowed psaltry?

[Dub]

Apr 16, 2024 13:01:48 GMT -5 epaul said:

Yes.

What the hell is a bowed psaltry?

[Cornflake]

I'd never seen one of those played before. I like it.

I can see the potential problem with shrillness. Don't know anything but I'd guess mahogany would be a good bet.

[Cosmic Wonder]

After listening to that YouTube video I’m wondering if Fiddilerina is not feeling well.

Mike

[billhammond]

Memories from long ago of righteous AG forumite Dan Brown of Lake Charles, La.

NOT the novelist, believe me!

[Marshall]

Tuning that thing must be a BEAR !

[millring]

Most folks seem to agree that rosewood brings out the most of the lower range. That not being one of the choices, I'd try to figure out which of the choices most emphasizes the low end like rosewood does. My guess might lean towards the walnut for density.

[Dub]

Apr 16, 2024 16:15:34 GMT -5 millring said:

Most folks seem to agree that rosewood brings out the most of the lower range. That not being one of the choices, I'd try to figure out which of the choices most emphasizes the low end like rosewood does. My guess might lean towards the walnut for density.

But rosewood isn’t used much for guitar tops. Its use for back and sides has the effect you describe.

I was thinking that mahogany is used for guitar tops and also provides a mellower tone. Don’t know how it would sound on a bowed psaltry considering the smaller soundboard and higher pitches.

[drlj]

I have seen them made of cherry, mahogany, and walnut.

Here is an interesting site.
www.jamesjonesinstruments.com/bowed-psalteries

This guy says spruce, cedar, and redwood give the warmest tones.

According to what I read, every string is a .010 ball end string.

[Cornflake]

Avoid balsa.

[theevan]

The one pictured looks to be spruce. Looks nice. Nice = spruce. So spruce.

[theevan]

Apr 16, 2024 14:15:51 GMT -5 billhammond said:

Memories from long ago of righteous AG forumite Dan Brown of Lake Charles, La.

NOT the novelist, believe me!

SteveO was in Lake Charles along with his mule. What a memory, going there.

Dan was from around Shreveport. He rode the bus to Jackson MS and I picked him up for the drive to Tupelo. Back in the Gathering Era. Um, stories.

[Dub]

Apr 16, 2024 16:44:04 GMT -5 drlj said:

I have seen them made of cherry, mahogany, and walnut.

Here is an interesting site.
www.jamesjonesinstruments.com/bowed-psalteries

This guy says spruce, cedar, and redwood give the warmest tones.

According to what I read, every string is a .010 ball end string.

Thanks, LJ. Nice site.

[Marty]

Apr 16, 2024 16:44:04 GMT -5 drlj said:

I have seen them made of cherry, mahogany, and walnut.

Here is an interesting site.
www.jamesjonesinstruments.com/bowed-psalteries

This guy says spruce, cedar, and redwood give the warmest tones.

According to what I read, every string is a .010 ball end string.

For the most part I agree with LJ. Cedar would be my first choice then Redwood or Mahogany. Back from Mahogany or Walnut. Sides from from a very hard stiff wood, laminated would be even better.

One of the problems of getting warmth is the air volume of the body. You need more air inside to get lower frequencies to resonate. You could do a less stiff top but with the kind of tension present I don't think that would be a good idea. Don't do a tiny sound hole, it doesn't have to be huge just not restricted with fancy fretwork covers.

[billhammond]

Apr 16, 2024 17:25:46 GMT -5 theevan said:

SteveO was in Lake Charles along with his mule. What a memory, going there.

Dan was from around Shreveport. He rode the bus to Jackson MS and I picked him up for the drive to Tupelo. Back in the Gathering Era. Um, stories.

I sit corrected. Steveo is no longer among the living. Do we know if DB is?

[drlj]

Apr 16, 2024 17:32:48 GMT -5 Marty said:

Apr 16, 2024 16:44:04 GMT -5 drlj said:

I have seen them made of cherry, mahogany, and walnut.

Here is an interesting site.
www.jamesjonesinstruments.com/bowed-psalteries

This guy says spruce, cedar, and redwood give the warmest tones.

According to what I read, every string is a .010 ball end string.

For the most part I agree with LJ. Cedar would be my first choice then Redwood or Mahogany. Back from Mahogany or Walnut. Sides from from a very hard stiff wood, laminated would be even better.

One of the problems of getting warmth is the air volume of the body. You need more air inside to get lower frequencies to resonate. You could do a less stiff top but with the kind of tension present I don't think that would be a good idea. Don't do a tiny sound hole, it doesn't have to be huge just not restricted with fancy fretwork covers.

Marshall can drop a pickup in it and, played through a Twin Reverb, volume will be no problem.
Heavy Metal Psaltery.

[Dub]

Apr 16, 2024 17:32:48 GMT -5 Marty said:

Apr 16, 2024 16:44:04 GMT -5 drlj said:

I have seen them made of cherry, mahogany, and walnut.

Here is an interesting site.
www.jamesjonesinstruments.com/bowed-psalteries

This guy says spruce, cedar, and redwood give the warmest tones.

According to what I read, every string is a .010 ball end string.

For the most part I agree with LJ. Cedar would be my first choice then Redwood or Mahogany. Back from Mahogany or Walnut. Sides from from a very hard stiff wood, laminated would be even better.

One of the problems of getting warmth is the air volume of the body. You need more air inside to get lower frequencies to resonate. You could do a less stiff top but with the kind of tension present I don't think that would be a good idea. Don't do a tiny sound hole, it doesn't have to be huge just not restricted with fancy fretwork covers.

This guy seems to have an interesting take. He says he prefers Sitka spruce for the soundboard but what I thought was interesting is he varies the spacing between the hitch posts to take into consideration both the intended note frequency and the optimum length of the string to produce the best tone at that pitch.

He also uses three different string gauges.

[Marshall]

Apr 16, 2024 19:02:26 GMT -5 drlj said:

Apr 16, 2024 17:32:48 GMT -5 Marty said:

For the most part I agree with LJ. Cedar would be my first choice then Redwood or Mahogany. Back from Mahogany or Walnut. Sides from from a very hard stiff wood, laminated would be even better.

One of the problems of getting warmth is the air volume of the body. You need more air inside to get lower frequencies to resonate. You could do a less stiff top but with the kind of tension present I don't think that would be a good idea. Don't do a tiny sound hole, it doesn't have to be huge just not restricted with fancy fretwork covers.

Marshall can drop a pickup in it and, played through a Twin Reverb, volume will be no problem.
Heavy Metal Psaltery.

Yeah, but what kind of UST would you have to make for THAT !

[Marty]

2 Schatten Dualies


A magnetic autoharp pickup.