Maple v. Ash for baseball bats...

[BubbaVO]

Short version: Selig was concerned that maple bats break at a higher rate than ash. He commissioned a study. We'll see bats made out of both maple and ash next season. Seems that the trick is making sure that the bats are made with the grain in the correct orientation. If it is manufactured correctly, then breakage between maple and ash is about the same. If not, maple breaks more often than ash.

Here's my question: When selecting a piece of wood for a part of a guitar, is the grain pattern of the wood(and how its cut) a part of the consideration into the wood's tonal qualities? My assumption is that if the grain pattern is fundamental for creating structural strength, then picking the right grain pattern can help sustain and impact the overall tone. If so, what's the right pattern? Or am I missing something.

Thoughts?

Full version:

Bud Selig's committee: Baseball bat makers need to do better job

Allows maple bats' use to continue but criticizes manufacturers

Phil Rogers | On Baseball

December 10, 2008

LAS VEGAS—No one watches more baseball than Bud Selig. It can't be done.

And the more baseball the commissioner has watched the last few years, the more he has been horrified by the epidemic of flying bat parts. He blamed the problem on the increased use of maple bats, and at one point last season actually considered an immediate ban on their use.

Selig ordered a study instead. He wound up with an education, not a ban.

"I was involved in some bat research several years ago," San Diego Padres President Sandy Alderson said. "I probably jumped to some conclusions with respect to maple that have not been borne out by scientific research."

Alderson headed Selig's Safety and Health Advisory Committee, which released the reports of its four-month study Tuesday. It is calling for the manufacturing of all bats to be regulated closer in 2009 but will treat maple bats the same as the traditional ash.

This is a bit surprising on the surface, given that the majority of bat shreds flying past pitchers and third basemen, and frequently fans, are made of maple. Even the committee's wood specialist, Dave Kretschmann of the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wis., said maple bats are "three times more likely than the ash bats to break into two or more pieces."

But rather than blame the wood itself, Kretschmann and the committee blame bat manufacturers for doing a poorer job using maple than ash. Thus major-league players who love to hit with maple won't have to give up their favorite bats, at least not in 2009.

"Maple as a material should have failed at a rate closer to that of ash," Kretschmann said. "… There's nothing about maple itself that would justify such a difference between ash and maple."

Selig admits the science changed his perception of the problem.

"One thing about facts is they become indisputable," he said from his Milwaukee office. "I am very confident with this report. They took this through a scientific evaluation, and this is what they came up with. I've very comfortable with it."

Kretschmann said maple bats haven't been constructed as well, largely because of a great degree of difficulty in seeing and understanding the grain patterns that work best.

MLB, already having obtained approval from the players association, will require all bats made from maple and yellow birch be marked "with an ink dot on the tangential face" of the handle.

The ink dot is designed to make it easier to read the grains, allowing weaker bats to be rejected before they can be used in big-league games. It is hoped that the elimination of such bad bats—projectiles waiting to explode—will reduce the amount of flying lumber at ballparks.

"We expect there will be a significant reduction," Alderson said. "But regardless of the reduction, whether it's 50 percent, 75 percent or 90 percent, the charge of this committee is to continue to do research to improve that number."

Among the committee's recommendation is that all bats manufactured carry serial numbers. That will allow MLB to learn more about the patterns behind shattered bats, including the origins of the maker and the wood used to make them.

If maple continues to track at a much higher rate than other wood, MLB still could move to eliminate those bats. But for now Alderson and the others appointed by Selig believe it's enough to regulate them.

For what it's worth, the study showed there isn't a major difference for hitters between maple—the fashionable bat for today's sluggers—and the traditional ash bats.

"All of the test results suggest there isn't a substantial difference in performance," Kretschmann said. "If they're straight-grained wood they perform similarly."

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[Jem]

Here's my question: When selecting a piece of wood for a part of a guitar, is the grain pattern of the wood(and how its cut) a part of the consideration into the wood's tonal qualities? My assumption is that if the grain pattern is fundamental for creating structural strength, then picking the right grain pattern can help sustain and impact the overall tone. If so, what's the right pattern? Or am I missing something.

Thoughts?

Nope, you're quite correct. For necks you want nice straight grain, some runout (basically where the grain veres off line and finishes before the end) can be acceptable depending how the neck is constructed. For laminated necks it's less of a problem than with one peice necks and again it depends if your going to have an angled headstock or a F*nder type. For bodies again you want the grain to run longitudually along the length of the body to help with the harmonic response and eveness of tonal integrity and also to ensure the thing doesn't split if it takes a fall.

[atquinn]

Here's my question: When selecting a piece of wood for a part of a guitar, is the grain pattern of the wood(and how its cut) a part of the consideration into the wood's tonal qualities? My assumption is that if the grain pattern is fundamental for creating structural strength, then picking the right grain pattern can help sustain and impact the overall tone. If so, what's the right pattern? Or am I missing something.

Thoughts?

Grain orientation is definitely something that many people consider where guitar necks are concerned. For example, quartersawn maple necks seem to be a desired trait where many buyers are concerned. Then again, some builders don't like to use them because they can warp in ways that are incorrectable via truss rod adjustment.

-Austin

[DavidF]

That's an interesting article. A baseball bat is round so the batter can turn it to any orientation and the feeling should be the same. The only manufacturing defect I can think of is the placement of the logo on the bat in relation to the grain. The batter should be holding the bat so that when it strikes the ball the lines of the woodgrain are facing the ball. Based on the typical placement of the logo on the bat, that means the logo would be facing up or down. My understanding of the issue between ash and maple is not the frequency of breaks but how they break. Maple tends to "explode" more and, I believe, with sharper pieces. In bats, wood with a tighter is preferred. I'm sure with guitar necks, the correct orientation is important for strength and warping/twisting. But, I think thats at least the part of the reasoning behind three piece necks.