Ideal Cabinet Wood

Matthew Davidson · From: Texas, USA

hello PSGf

I'm curious to know which species of wood folks consider to be ideal in constructing a pedal steel cabinet. What attributes are desirable? Any varieties to avoid ?

thanks!
mat

Barry Coker · From: Bagley Alabama, USA

I prefer Maple it has been a standard for years not only looks good but is a good sound wood too. A hard maple cab with exotic or figuard laminated veneer works well. I would stay away from Pine and softer woods.

Barry
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Wayne Brown · From: Bassano, Alberta, Canada

I agree with Barry I am 100% a maple fan From Takamine guitars to steel guitar cabinets. The reverberation qualities of maple are astounding to me. Plus the strength of the wood itself makes for great cabinets. Also it doesn't hurt that maple can be very pleasing eye candy Smile

thanks
wayne
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David Ball · From: North Carolina High Country

I like maple too, but I really like rosewood cabinets. I have a couple of rosewood steels and they both sound great.

Dave

Javier Schulenburg · From: Austria

I would add beech (both American and European) as suitable woods structurally speaking, it is imperative for either to be steamed though and neither are ideal if it should stand out visually

Douglas Schuch · From: Valencia, Philippines

Most builders who will cover the steel with plastic laminate use rock maple as it is the hardest. Also called sugar maple, hard maple, or black maple.

"Its wood is stronger, stiffer, harder, and denser than all of the other species of maple commercially available in lumber form."

https://www.wood-database.com/hard-maple/

And info on the difference between hard maple and soft maple:

https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/differences-between-hard-maple-and-soft-maple/
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Bill Fisher · From: Oklahoma, USA

Gidgee.

Bill

Matthew Davidson · From: Texas, USA

thanks very kindly everyone for all the info

Tim Toberer · From: Nebraska, USA

Something about Maple just looks right.

David Ball · From: North Carolina High Country

You know, thinking about it in terms of regular guitar building--maple is always very popular for archtops and jazz guitars because it does very little to color the sound. One reason that it's often not a first choice for flat top builders, but I think that non-coloration is a good thing for steel guitars too. Rosewood, mahogany and other common tonewoods for guitars all seem to impart their own flavor on the end products. That's why you'll find "rosewood guitar" guys and "mahogany guitar" guys in the flattop world.

Seems to me that any good tonewood in an acoustic guitar would also be a good tonewood on an electric or steel guitar. Probably not as big a difference from wood to wood as it would be on an acoustic, but I can hear differences between my maple and rosewood steels that mimick the differences I'd hear on acoustic guitars. Rosewood tends to be a little heavy on the bass side. Mahogany favors midrange. Maple puts it out there pretty clean and unadulterated.

Oversimplification I'm sure, but listen to the difference in tone between a D28, a D18 and something like a J200 or a maple bodied Martin to keep it all the same. Subtle differences, but audible. I think you can project those differences onto the tone of a steel guitar and see what you like.

My rosewood steels definitely have a crisper deeper bassier tone than my maple ones, but it's more subtle than on acoustic guitars. They're all good.

Dave

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