Anybody know about Bear Claw Spruce?

[RP]

When I got my Taylor 455 last December, I didn't realize that the wierd grain in the top had not only a name, but also groups of devotees as well as naysayers. I think it looks kind of cool, got a very good deal on the guitar, and love the sound of the guitar. All the rest is pretty irrelevent.

[Ants Marching]

Originally Posted by chtaylo2

I'd also like to see examples of bearclaw spruce. I have a 99 410 that was a wavy pattern in the spruce top parallel with the bridge. It stretches across the whole soundboard. I'm not sure what to call it.

-Chris

I also have a wavy pattern (thats a good way to describe it) on my 410.

[dreamwarrior]

I'd never heard of bear claw until I bought my 414ce, which has about 15 or so claw marks on it. The salesman, of course, explained a little about it and said a lot of people prefer bear claw. I think it looks really sweet, and LOVE the sound of the guitar, so for me it was a no-brainer. The ovangkol is also darker than others I've seen, with an odd colored stripe about 3 inches wide down the center of the back which I find to be very pretty as well. I don't know if the bear claw improves the tone any, but this guitar to my ears sounds great, but so have the other 414's I've played.

My 355 has a single claw mark about 4 inches long, which definitely isn't pleasing to the eye like my 414, but it sounds great, so it doesn't bother me at all. And knowing that some people believe bear claw to be superior (wether true or not) is enough for me to appreciate it rather than being bothered by it.

I'm sure the claw has nothing to do with this statement either, but my 414 is sounding much better to my ears now than my Tacoma, which has a spruce top (no claw) and rosewood back and sides. I loved my Tacoma until the Taylor came along. The Taylor is just so much more balanced.

[blindsummit]

Here's some photo's of my new Martin HD-28, which has some destinctive 'bear claw' pattern.

[wthurman]

Originally Posted by Jeff M

From Dana Bourgeois, luthier;
"Before leaving the spruces, I should mention bearclaw figure, or hazelficte-a delightful pattern in the grain occasionally occurring in all species of spruce. Bearclaw, like the curl in curly maple, is a rippling of the longitudinal fibers, which divides the surface of the wood into shimmering patterns. Unlike the even waves that usually occur in maple, bearclaw usually appears on asymmetrical or randomly broken patterns. This phenomenon almost always occurs in older trees that have dense, stiff grain structure and high sound velocity. Thus bearclaw is usually a reliable indicator of the better examples of tonewoods within any given species of spruce."

My own opinion....meh.
"Bear claw" tops were not used back in the "vintage" days. Felt to look "blemished".
Nowadays, with less quality wood to go around and the discovery that with a little advertising, you can convince people that what once considered a "flaw" is actually an "indicator of a good piece of wood" that you charge more for , builiders are using it more.
I've owned a couple of guitars with "bear claw". Nice guitars. Not nicer than "non-bear claw" topped guitars, at leat not that I could tell.
There is just so much variability between even "identical" guitas built with slabs of wood from the same stash that to say it's the bear claw that makes one sound better/worse than the other, well....that's reaching to me.

Jeff and I are skeptics I think of most things. I have a cedar top that I love, but I also think that how cedar will perform and what tonality it brings is oversimplified. I like the look of a lot of bearclaw but I've never heard it make a difference, and even if it did, I don't have the exact same guitar to try it on. Hmmm... someone should come up with a removable top and we can test.

I feel the same way about figured back and sides... I think one reason quarter sawn was so prized is that it looked "unflawed", was easier to bend and work with, and was more stable overall... but something more flat sawn that's stable can also make a great guitar. I've played some amazing flat sawn guitars from the 30's.

In the end, it's not about bearclaw or wood figure or lack thereof. It's about how it sounds, how it plays, and whether you like the looks. These days, you can have all three.

[Kevin A]

Bearclaw tops...some like it, some don't.


Any other 6-year old threads anyone care to unearth?

[tsaidog]

wow, this is an really old thread.

too bad bob taylor no longer comments.

[lohanette]

Bear claw on my 214e.

[DenverSteve]

Actually Jean Larrivee claims that a wider grain (+/- 3mm between) sounds much better than tight grain. All in the ears of the holder I guess.

[Kevin A]

Originally Posted by PastorSteve

Actually Jean Larrivee claims that a wider grain (+/- 3mm between) sounds much better than tight grain.

I'm guessing Jean has quite a stock of wide-grain spruce in his inventory....

[RustyAxe]

And it's a Braz! At Maple Leaf Music ... click here

[Donfransisco]

The only time i have ever seen bear claw on Taylor's are on the new 100's 200's and 300's, basically all the low end models. But then again, while i was on the Taylor tour i saw a pallet labeled "bear claw spruce". And also, R. Taylor offers it as an option.

[Stuart]

I read once that Bearclaw, in and of itself does not imrpove the sound of guitar wood, but that it is an indication of "Old Growth" wood, which is generally thought to be better for sound quality.

[Ovaltitan]

Some great shots of amazing guitars with bearclaw from the 12th Fret web site.

http://www.12fret.com/new/de_Jonge_Zircote_pg.html

http://www.12fret.com/new/Bourgeois_...ure_OM_pg.html

http://www.12fret.com/new/Alberico_C...law_OM_pg.html

http://www.12fret.com/new/Barry_OM_B...w_Apr07pg.html

http://www.12fret.com/new/de_Jonge_B...guitar_pg.html

http://www.12fret.com/new/Kett_Mark_...any_OM_pg.html

http://www.12fret.com/new/Larrivee_L...arclaw_pg.html

http://www.12fret.com/new/McPherson_...arclaw_pg.html

My R Taylor has some incredible bear claw on it. I'll post photos when I get the chance.

[jazzd]

Hi guys, most people here are wrong about bear claw- either slightly wrong or *way off.

IT'S NOT:
1. A rippling of the just longitudinal fibers, it's a rippling of all fibers. (Note fibers claw diagonally through all grains, partly why it looks like a "rip.")

2. Not related to quilting, curling or flaming. (Note the clawing happens sporadically and not in layers or repeating patterns, also partly why it looks like a "rip.")

3. Not necessarily indicative of old-growth (it can happen on young spruce too).

IT IS:
1. Usually indicative of a stiffer board. That's b/c the cross-silk becomes tangled into more of the vertical grain and vice versa; literally the cell walls of the vertical and horizontal fibers become more "stitched" together.

2. Literally is a "rip" (*mainly why it looks like a "rip" lol). Those cell walls have burst and become interwoven.

3. They were ripped open by water; a tree having taken up more water than some of its cells could handle for one reason or another, and the cell walls burst. Either it was closer to a water source, or in a place of pooling, subject to tons of rain, etc.

4. It is more often in older trees than young b/c throughout their life they're more likely to have seen more heavy-rain seasons than their younger bros & sisses. But young trees get it too, esp if they grow near a river.

5. It literally is the water in the wood, making the guitar sound oh-so-slightly-sweeter. More vibrant & deeper. They often even smell better too.

Had a beauty bear claw Taylor last year that I had to sell back... was like cutting of an arm, losing a friend or a woman. That was a tough one to let go. Oh well. 1st-world probs. Glad I ever got to play her; Honeybear.