| Author |
Topic: Carter Steel LE |
Jim Saunders
From:
Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
|
|
|
|
Dennis Montgomery
From:
Western Washington
|
|
|
|
b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
|
Posted 9 Dec 2018 7:00 pm |
|
It might be one of the special models made from very old timber. I think the wood was salvaged from the Great Lakes or something like that. They were priced higher than a typical Carter.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
|
|
|
Bill Miller
From:
Gaspe, Quebec, Canada
|
Posted 9 Dec 2018 7:18 pm
|
|
| Quote: |
| It might be one of the special models made from very old timber. I think the wood was salvaged from the Great Lakes or something like that. |
Yes, I vaguely remember those LE Carters. Were't they billed as being made from ' Timeless Timbers ' hardwood...as you say, very old salvaged wood. It's definitely not your typical Carter. |
|
|
|
Dave Meis
From:
Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA
|
Posted 9 Dec 2018 10:57 pm
|
|
| That's a pretty piece of wood! |
|
|
|
David Rattray
From:
Ontario, Canada
|
Posted 10 Dec 2018 3:15 am
|
|
Hello folks ...I have one of these LE Carters from 2003 ...9 and 5...bought it new it at that time it cost well over nine thousand ...Canadian...
 ...have had it refinished last year as the finish was falling off ..why it did I dont know..
....would not take what the asking price on the one discussed for it ...the timber was salvaged from one of the great lakes carbon dated at over 650 years old ...it is a very special steel sounds incredible even with me playing it...xlr 16"s in it... |
|
|
|
David Ball
From:
North Carolina High Country
|
Posted 10 Dec 2018 12:56 pm
|
|
| David Rattray wrote: |
have had it refinished last year as the finish was falling off ..why it did I dont know..
|
I built several banjos using the "Timeless Timbers" submerged birch, salvaged from the bottom of Lake Superior. Really interesting wood--it didn't work the same as "new" wood--if I took a sharp plane to the wood, it would leave an edge as sharp as a razor. It worked more like metal than like wood, and interestingly enough it still had a pleasant aroma as I worked it. Fantastic tone, unlike anything else I've ever used.
But, putting a finish on it was extremely difficult. The pores in the wood (very fine pores in birch) just seemed to suck the finish in. After many coats, the wood still looked unfinished. Then, all of a sudden, a super beautiful finish just seemed to happen. Very strange indeed.
I'm not surprised that the finish let go on your guitar, given how strange this wood behaves during the finishing process, at least from my experience. The banjos I built out of it are about 15 years old now--about the same as your guitar. Hope the finish isn't falling off!
Dave |
|
|
|
Chris Reesor
From:
British Columbia, Canada
|
Posted 10 Dec 2018 6:53 pm
|
|
I'm kind of curious about that "sinker" wood. Perhaps it absorbs some extra minerals while sitting submerged for a few centuries.
How did your tool edges hold up when you were working it, David?
Poor finish adhesion is a real nightmare for a luthier. Anybody know what finish Carter was using on their lacquer guitars, by any chance?
_________________
Excel Superb U12, MIJ Squier tele, modified Deluxe Reverb RI, Cube 80XL, self built acoustics & mandolins |
|
|
|
David Ball
From:
North Carolina High Country
|
Posted 11 Dec 2018 4:14 am
|
|
As I understand it, the resin, starch and soft insides of the cells of the wood have been consumed by anaerobic bacteria (that's a banjo makers term  ), leaving the wood and the cellular structure, but none of the soft stuff that's present when a tree is felled.
I think that it does absorb some extra minerals--that's where a lot of the interesting color of some of this wood comes from. Also, from what I've been told, the aroma of the wood has a lot to do with what it was laying on in the bottom of the lake. Some smells great, some smells foul.
Tool edges held up fine, but needed to be very sharp. When planing or turning this wood, instead of the usual curls that you'd see on regular wood, the wood came up as a kind of granular material. I think this is due to the alteration of the wood mentioned earlier. Without some of the starch and resin, the wood comes off with more of a porous texture. Very interesting stuff.
I always use French Polish on my instruments--shellac. It will stick to darned near anything, and the submerged wood was no exception, but the wood absorbed a lot of it before it started to build on the surface.
Here's a picture of one of my banjos showing what the wood looks like and how the finish finally worked out. I figure that since it's in the context of steel guitar finish, then maybe banjo content will be overlooked!
Dave
 |
|
|
|
Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
|
Posted 11 Dec 2018 8:21 am
|
|
Dave,
You're forgiven! 
Erv |
|
|
|
Chris Reesor
From:
British Columbia, Canada
|
Posted 11 Dec 2018 9:19 am
|
|
Thank you for your reply, David B. That explains why getting a good finish build on that sinker wood takes so long.
I french polish my instruments for the most part, and getting finish to stick has not been an issue for me.
I don't think you need worry about the finish on those banjos. Do watch out for that moonshine, though.
_________________
Excel Superb U12, MIJ Squier tele, modified Deluxe Reverb RI, Cube 80XL, self built acoustics & mandolins |
|
|
|
David Ball
From:
North Carolina High Country
|
Posted 11 Dec 2018 9:29 am
|
|
Hey, I live in the land of moonshine, both the real stuff and the new faux-moonshine that's become so popular. But, I still use Everclear in my shellac.
Dave |
|
|
|
As far as the asking price goes...well that's another thing 