Originally Posted by
george wilson
Cedar will never have the longevity of spruce. The cedar myth started when Ramirez,being cheap by nature,bought up a bunch of old,large cedar mine timbers,and had them quarter sawn into guitar top wood. I have made a few guitars with it. They are too dark sounding to suit me. Cedar does not have the inherent strength of spruce,or the ability spruce has to rapidly spread vibration.
Ramirez himself has been described to me by a friend who knew him as hardly being able to cross the street by himself. His father was the great builder. The modern shop employs several good luthiers who make the guitars. They are permitted to use a cheap looking rubber stamp with their initials on it to stamp on the neck block of guitars they make. My friend,back in the early 60's,was a commercial pilot. He'd fly to Spain,and while there,buy a Ramirez to re sell. They were cheap in Spain at that time. Ramirez would obligingly fill out a receipt that said the guitar was bought very cheap,to help get it through customs without big taxes.