Cedar tops

[smilingpolitely161]

Hello all,
i recently bought a second hand as100ce and really like it, so much so that im seriously thinking of going for a hand made model. Im looking at either an L25 or 32. Im more swayed to the descriptions of the cedar tops due to their warmer sounds but im slightly concerned about the fact that its a relatively soft wood and wondered if it may be more prone to damage/ warping etc. Any helpfull comments/ opinions/ experiences would be greatfully recieved.
Thanks in advance - Vick.

[Son of Thunder]

I've got a cedar top on my Lowden O10c (roughly equivalent to Avalon's L10c). It's eight years old, and in relatively good shape. There are a few minor dings here and there, but no significant warping.

[JB]

Hi Vick

Cedar is softer but not weak or something to be worried about .... yes it's softer than sitka spruce but it is still very durable and hardy.

Two Avalon playing artists, Nick Harper and the late Eric Roche play/played with a very strong, fantasticly abusive playing style and they chose cedar tops over spruce and their guitars have always had to endure a hellu'va beating .... I'm happy to report that we've never had any complaints on our cedar being too "soft"

Side note - We only get our cedar from one supplier in Alaska and he always supplies super stiff cedar.

Hope this helps
Jim

[marinercross]

I am a huge fan of the cedar tops for fingerstyle, and have had one on my Lowden O25C for about five years. It does have a couple of minor dings due to the softness (I don't even know how they got there), but other than that, no problems, and I gig with it every week. They sound fantastic. This is one of the only guitars I've played that feels as if it is alive and breathing while I'm playing.

I have played a couple of Jim Olson's guitars with cedar tops that are over 20 years old, and they are holding up very well. I know that 20 years is relatively young compared to some of the vintage pieces out there, but I think that the 20 year mark is a good indicator that cedar holds up just fine.