Hi Glupson
My evolution of wood curing and voicing has been a fascinating journey. Even when I read back through the threads it's pretty amazing. The answer to your question is a long one because for me it has meant owning my own kilns and huge collections of wood. A big factor in the learning curves are, where you live.
No matter how much wood I have collected or the different types, and from where, the key is learning how to cure.
Lets start with the where it comes from. I have my pet areas to choose wood from and also get samples of this years harvest (been collecting wood seriously since 1987). I have wood sent directly to me and I also make my regular rounds of my lumberyards. The advantage to having lumberyards here is they are natural kilns. I can go in on any given day and start testing wood for possible purchase. The yards here have gotten to know me and have been very gracious about letting me come in a do my first testing. In fact during the start of my curing season each year some of the workers who know me will let me know what they have that I might want to check out.
There are 3 types of yards I visit here, common, exotic and exotic blocks. On TuneLand I have pictures of all three and with us choosing the wood and the process I go through in the curing and voicing. For me it's not only a weekly hobby of mine but also a thrill ride that once you get hooked is as cool as any other hobby. Today for example I spent half a day over in my curing house, flipping and getting ready some wood for Platforms, Subs and Blocks.
On the topic of Maple vs Walnut, yes I gave a very general answer and if someone ran out and bought a piece of either they would more than likely have their own created sound based on the way they treated that particular piece of wood. If you would like me to give you how I get different species ready for my listening tests I can do it, but yes every piece of wood has it's own story.
MG
