Tone woods and bow noise

[Pat Ct]

Here goes a weird one:

Many of the woods used in risers, veneers, tips, averlays, etc are usually some of the best tone woods for musical instrument making and are used because of specific fundamental and overtone properties unique to each plank.  Now, if for example, a guitar with a cocobolo or ziricote back is used because the overtones are evenly dissipated after the fundamental note, wouldn't a bow built out of similar woods have a different tone and longer reverberation after the string is released or plucked? Would this not mean that a bow could be louder for longer depending on the materials used?

 

[jt85]

??? I have no clue but that is an interesting question.

[Jim Wright]

I can offer my personal observation. I have had a number of different bows by Dan Toelke: Whips, Recurves and Super Ds. Woods have consisted of Cocobolo, Bacote, Macassar Ebony, Black and White Ebony, Texas Ebony, Katalox, Goncalo Alves, Yew, Juniper, Zebrawood, Maple and Marblewood off the top of my head. Every one of them has been exceptionally quiet as Dan's bows are known to be and numerous posts here have attested to. I have shot with other shooters with bows made with some of the same woods in risers and limbs that were anywhere between slightly to just plain loud. I believe that the design of the bow and proper tuning are what determines a bow's quietness not the woods it is constructed from.

[kennym]

I'm going with Jim's last sentence.

The guitar back is much larger and fairly thin I think(not a guitar guy) Once you glue the veneers to the core, it thickens the wood pc enough to nullify any overtones. The riser is a pretty good chunk too, so I don't think it will make any noise either. We hope anyway!!

[Shadowhnter]

Not to say the back of instruments don't matter, but it is largely the softer wood in the top that does the most for sound and vibration. Rarely if ever are bow risers made of spruce for instance.

[Woodpuppy]

Originally posted by Shadowhnter:
Not to say the back of instruments don't matter, but it is largely the softer wood in the top that does the most for sound and vibration. Rarely if ever are bow risers made of spruce for instance.

...and stringed instruments work because of the hollow cavity and it's shape, something a good bow should lack  

[K.S.TRAPPER]

As mentioned, bow sound comes from tiller, tune and string noise mostly. There can be other factors on breakdown bows because of mechanical parts IMO.

Tracy

[monterey]

I think the very fact that it is in the hand would serve to dampen vibration.

[Benjy]

Originally posted by kennym:
I'm going with Jim's last sentence.

The guitar back is much larger and fairly thin I think(not a guitar guy) Once you glue the veneers to the core, it thickens the wood pc enough to nullify any overtones. The riser is a pretty good chunk too, so I don't think it will make any noise either. We hope anyway!!

I have built a few acoustic guitars and I agree with Kenny's post.not to mention the guitar has a "hollow box"

[Pine]

   

[Robertfishes]

I have friends with carbon in their limbs, some of those limbs have a certain sound to them. Most of my limbs have bamboo in them, and a few have red elm. I have used rosewoods in risers, hard maple, sapele, black limba, dymondwood, resin impregnated wood and actionwood..I dont remember any of the being noisy or having a pitch difference..  I think limb design, string material and tuning has a lot to do with "limb noise"

I know almost nothing about "tone woods" I have a Fender Starcaster bass, it's Semi Hollow with an alder center block with maple body,maple fret board and maple neck. My Ibanez "Mikro" bass has a Mahogany body, maple neck with a rosewood fret board..But the one I like to play the most has a.....wait for it....plywood body yes plywood, rosewood fret board, neck is painted but I think its maple. Its a Danelectro "Longhorn" made in 2006, painted black body and back of neck.