I wondered about supply but couldn't find evidence for that either. Specific to guitars the claims were that it was hard to work with and that as a tonewood it was inferior to other readily available alternatives. That makes me want to flip the question - why was it used earlier in the century and why did it fall out of favor? Or maybe it was never popular?
I mean it was used on a few lower end and middle of the road stuff so maybe it got the reputation of being a bad tonewood given sometimes the mindset of mo money mo betta is a thing in some circles.
www.timelesstimber.com
That'd be my guess too. Ready availability/low cost was enough to offset the difficulty of working with hand tools, but eventually other woods especially Mahogany became more readily available. It seems the timing of the popularity of birch coincides with the dwindling of the American Mahogany market in the late 1800's?In the early days of US volume instrument production for the general public, material availability and cost would have been a big factor in those choices. They didn't have international supply chains like we do today.
Recovered Timber from the Great Lakes
History of the Great Lakes Logging Boom The shores of the Great Lakes region were once covered with dense stands of massive white pine, oak, and yellow birch. As the supply of timber began to be depleted in the eastern states in the 1800’s, settlers and loggers moved westward and into the
Again, probably down to ready availability and price.
I looked into it after my previous post and found that out. Also that Fender used solid pine in their smaller cabinets. Currently, MDF is common, particularly at the lower end of the market.Marshall and other - Orange - cabinets used Baltic Birch plywood, up to 13 plies, heavy, rigid.
All notions of "solid" woods being superior in tone don't matter when it comes to solid Birch Harmony guitars that used to sell in the $75 price range, now a bit more.
I've got the trifecta of small birch bodied parlor guitars, Stella (Harmony), Kay, and Airline, actually attached to each one to not sell them.
And a 12 string Stella - now fabled KC model - and a Kay mandolin, a whole lotta Birch.
The Airline I almost sold and had a case of sellers remorse in the moment, had to tell the buyer "no go" and he got a little desperate, offered me more I recall. I had my reasons, lucky guitar.
I was selling a Stella once, probably the one I still have - with psychedelic 3D top - to a couple Emo kids, sitting in my kitchen back when I had the house in town, and the one kid was playing it, and they weren't digging it, so I cut to the chase, "Do you want it?" and the kid says "I dunno, it sounds like a cheap guitar"
Bingo, it is a cheap guitar ;[]
My pile of Birch kindling, the plain top 3D Stella is not featured because it's not a burst.
Early Champ and other Tweed amp cabs were solid pine, and according to legend, the cabs vibrate and begin to sing along with the speaker, part of the Champ magic.
ruokangas.com
I think this is the key... Today the availability of high quality, sometimes exotic, but definitely affordable tone woods would blow the mind of manufactures back in the 30's and 40's and through to the 60's!
