Spanish Cedar Question

[kpcrash]

Curious - anyone ever used spanish cedar in building? Have a friend that wants a fretboard made from it.

[Geo]

Isn't that a softwood?! I have some brace wood which I BELIEVE is Spanish Cedar (may not be, so this may be irrelevant), but it is very soft, softer than spruce. This seems like a disaster for fingerboard. But maybe there are other varieties OR I don't know what I'm talking about...

[orgmorg]

Spanish Cedar is not actually a cedar, and not a softwood, either.

I've never workrd with it, but from what I have heard, it is a lot like mahogany in most ways.

So, probably not quite hard enough for a fingerboard, but definitely harder than any of the actual cedars.

[Inisheer]

From what I have read, Spanish Cedar is good as a body wood, but it is a bit soft. I know someone on another forum that loves this wood and uses it all the time for bodies. But since it is a little softer, he puts a harder wood 1/4" laminate on the top and bottom. I say go ahead and give it a try!

[kpcrash]

Excellent. I'll probably give it go. Worst case, I have to make a new fretboard out of something "normal" like maple. This is for a rebuild that is painted flourescent yellow with red attire and black hardware. The natural color of the spanish cedar is what attracted this person to it.

[Hector]

spanish cedar is too soft for a fretboard, I wouldn't use it.

good for acoustic back and sides (flamenco style guitars sounds awesome with spanish cedar), necks, electrics body, kerfing, etc. but not for a fretboard.

[Mattia]

Too soft for a fretboard, like people say. Spanish Cedar is a traditional wood for necks on classicals and flamencos, and for linings, and some electric bodies and necks have been made from it. It's not common as back/sides (you're probably thinking of Spanish Cypress there), although it certainly could be used. It's sort of mahogany-like, grain's usually less pronounced, it tends to be a little lighter and softer.

[Hector]

It's not common as back/sides (you're probably thinking of Spanish Cypress there), although it certainly could be used. It's sort of mahogany-like, grain's usually less pronounced, it tends to be a little lighter and softer.

hey mattia, spanish cypress is my #1 wood choice for flamenco guitars, but I have a hard time finding cypress here, so i use spanish cedar instead, if the customer is not willing to pay some more for the cypress. works pretty well.

[Jon]

Not a whole lot more dense than Basswood, incredibly easy to dent. Using it as a fingerboard is way out of the question.

[eddiewarlock]

Spanish cedar is awesome!! you want true mahogany sound? use spanish cedar, sounds wonderful!

It can be used for necks and bodies. And it is harder than Korina, and if korina is so used on guitars why can't be spanish cedar?

FYI, spanish cedar is of the same family as mahogany ( they look VERY similar) sometimes the only way to tell them apart is by smelling it, spanish cedar smells really really good

If you get a lighter colored spanish cedar piece it is more likely to dent, but if you get pieces that are mahogany in color those are not easily dented and are as hard as mahogany

I have used it a lot and have recently made a Explorer, a Les Paul, a PRS and soon a BC Rich warlock copy, with it. Most of them have maple caps, but it works great by itself.

Give it a try, it'll suprise you very nicely

[carousel182]

I LOVE the look of spanish cedar. Recently I was at the lumber yard and I saw a piece of curly spanish cedar, I bought 2 boards of it (all they had) and decided to make tops and other things with it. It's pretty much exactly like mahogany.

Here it is can't wait to use it.

[Mattia]

...that's lovely Spanish Cedar, but hardly 'normal' figure for the stuff.

Eddie: its great stuff for bodies and necks, but it is softer, lighter and dents more easily than any of the mahoganies, true or otherwise. Bit more dent resistant than Limba (higher hardness numbers), so it's not a reason not to use it. Smell is the easiest way to tell them apart, but I do find Cedrella has less pronounced grain (finer, more closed pore, less shimmer) than mahogany, given two plain pieces.

[kpcrash]

Just FYI - I picked up a piece from a local millwork shop, they have BOATLOADS of it lying around. They also have a storage room that according to the new owner has pieces of wood that are between 20 and 60 years old (maple, curly maple, mahogany, spanish cedar, walnut, cherry and pecan). I'll be broke for a while.....

[eddiewarlock]

...that's lovely Spanish Cedar, but hardly 'normal' figure for the stuff.

Eddie: its great stuff for bodies and necks, but it is softer, lighter and dents more easily than any of the mahoganies, true or otherwise. Bit more dent resistant than Limba (higher hardness numbers), so it's not a reason not to use it. Smell is the easiest way to tell them apart, but I do find Cedrella has less pronounced grain (finer, more closed pore, less shimmer) than mahogany, given two plain pieces.

Yup, i agree 100% with you

Here in Venezuela there's a ban on cutting mahogany trees, so it hasn't been avaiable for 5 years, and the substitute is cedar, although is scarce. I like it better than mahogany, and sometimes it has a nice quilted pattern.

Regarding hardness, it depends on the pieces, i'¡ve had piece that were part of a door frame and they were hard, as hard as mahogany i loved it.

Other pieces are lighter in color and dents way easier