Swingman wrote:

Yep, thinking back, my wife has a classical guitar with a Spanish
cedar top, and it seems to hold up well also.

Recorded quite a few hammered dulcimers in my studio days ...
"sustain" is an understatement with that instrument.

Played an open mic last night at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar in Syracuse.
Two guys came up while I was waiting in the wings to go on, and asked if I
wanted a Bass and Drum back up. I almost said no, that I was all set to do
it solo, and boy am I glad I did not say that! Turns out the bass player
plays with the biggest rock band in this area, and is a serious long hair.
Me - I've hardly got any damned hair left and this guy's hair is down to his
belt. Played a 6 string bass and he knew how to play each one of those 6
strings. He's a rocker and my stuff last night was some old Steve Goodman
stuff, a Travis Van Zandt tune, and an original that was straight up
country. Let me tell you - we rocked the freakin' joint! One of those
great gigs where a few musicians get up and play together, who have never
met, don't know the same music, and somehow, pull it off big time. Was one
of the best times I've had in a long time. The bass player was glued to my
left hand because he didn't know any of the music, but it didn't take him
long to feel what to add in. Straight up country with some really rockin'
bass can be a killer match.

What does this have to do with woodworking and the availability of wood for
luthiers? Not a damned thing!

But - I did take my Taylor...

--

-Mike-