ask bob on pages 6 & 7 has some interesting info on thermally modified wood
He does, have been wondering what Bob's take on the subject was. I'm convinced they used torrefied spruce tops (one way to "thermally modify", of the many they techniques they use) on the revoiced 600 series because it's a crucial element of the "new tone", putting it more into the "mainstream" and getting many more to buy these
sustainable maple guitars. Remember,
driving much more demand for maple, a sustainable tonewood, was the key motivator in the revoicing. [I can imagine Andy saying, ok, now what if we torrify the top, I think that would jack up what we have and make this even more compelling]. I think anyone can see they were wildly successful in that regard and they did it largely by making the tone pleasing to many more folks, expanding the demand.
We can observe many talented, low volume boutique shops as well as other manufacturers jumping on board the torrefied train
as an option, not a panacea. It's another choice at the end of the day. No one who has played any of these boutique guitars outfitted this way could rightly declare it a gimmick. It's the real deal as a choice, many times a pleasing one.
I think Andy and Bob are taking a measured approach and I predict more torrefied in the future, when they figure out where it fits in their tone plans. Right now, Andy is doing tremendous things without it, so he wants to keep it in his back pocket for now. That's my guess.
i'm curious about the one andy's holding on page 44 -
it looks like it has 500 series appointments with no pickguard
I think Andy is teasing us with this one. I agree it's the "500 series" inlay, but look closely at the rosette and purfling. Not so much. Similar but different. And about 95% sure that's an Adirondack top, if you look closely at the grain pattern and color. Likely a custom or one-off.
