Bear claw spruce for soprano top?

Jim Hanks

Jim Hanks

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What do y'all think about that? Anybody had one or seen one?

All the examples I'm finding are tenor or baritone.

What back/sides would work best with it? Flea plastic? :cool:
 
Jim Hanks said:
What do y'all think about that? Anybody had one or seen one?

All the examples I'm finding are tenor or baritone.

What back/sides would work best with it? Flea plastic? :cool:
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bear claw in most cases is Sitka with marks. I have Adirondack but I would guess Sitka will work as well.
 
I bought an Ohana SK-70WG with a solid spruce top and willow laminate body for my wife. She doesn't play it at all. But the few times I have, I find that it really projects.
 
Soprano with bear claw spruce front and back, which is really unusual. Made by Pops (Alvin Okami). The bear claw stripe down the middle of the back is beautiful but a little off center. There are other little finish issues that were minor, but possibly the best sounding soprano I've played and very easy to play.

20200323_170736 copy.jpg20200323_171205 copy.jpg
 
kerneltime said:
I have a couple of spruce top sopranos, they sound awesome!...the other is a cripple creek and you own one from Mr Hanson.
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Cool. Do you have pics of the CC?

Kenn2018 said:
I bought an Ohana SK-70WG with a solid spruce top and willow laminate body...I find that it really projects.
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Good to know

snowdenn said:
Soprano with bear claw spruce front and back, which is really unusual.
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Indeed! Had not considered spruce for a back.
 
Jim,

A quick search of Mya-Moe's website shows 6 soprano builds with bear claw spruce tops. Sides and back are koa, red maple, and East Indian rosewood.

Bill
 
Up into the 1980s bear claw spruce was considered inferior and not used for instrument building. But as traditional spruce supplies dwindled it got more acceptable and more recently even gets marketed as special. I prefer hardwood tops for ukes and straight grained softwood for guitars.
 
kerneltime said:
Here you go
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Ah yes, I remember seeing that now.

BillM said:
A quick search of Mya-Moe's website shows 6 soprano builds with bear claw spruce tops.
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Good pointer. Thanks

merlin666 said:
Up into the 1980s bear claw spruce was considered inferior and not used for instrument building....even gets marketed as special.
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Interesting. My interest is as much "design" and "aesthetic" rather than strictly tone, but it's good to know it has been used to good effect by well respected builders
 
I have an 8-string Bear Claw Spruce/Myrtle tenor MP (Mike Pereira). And a Bear Claw Spruce/Ziricote LFdM. Lovely sound from both.

I think on these, the Bear Claw is just a tad warmer than a Sitka on a Pono tenor or the Englemann on a Kinnard Series 2 tenor. Not as warm as cedar though.

But it's very difficult to draw conclusions about the spruce due to differing ages, constructions and side ports on the LFdM and Kinnard. And strings.
 
Kenn2018 said:
I have an 8-string Bear Claw Spruce/Myrtle tenor MP (Mike Pereira). And a Bear Claw Spruce/Ziricote LFdM. Lovely sound from both.

I think on these, the Bear Claw is just a tad warmer than a Sitka on a Pono tenor or the Englemann on a Kinnard Series 2 tenor. Not as warm as cedar though.

But it's very difficult to draw conclusions about the spruce due to differing ages, constructions and side ports on the LFdM and Kinnard. And strings.
Click to expand...
From what I understand bear claws is Sitka + wood variation so sound wise Sitka..?
 
There is also torrefied spruce...

It's probably psychological, but I have in my mind that Bear Claw is softer and usually darker than that on most ukes listed as Sitka-topped.

And there's the Moon Spruce on the aNueNue Moon Birds.

I suspect if I had 4 identical model tenors tenors with the same strings but a different spruce top on each one. And I was blindfolded. I probably would not be able to tell one from another. Including the torrefied. But who knows?
 
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