were decks poppier back in the day? (or am I just old af)

[Suangi]

so I was watching:

and something that stood out to me was the crisp sound of the pop. it made me think of old set ups I had around that period and perhaps they were more poppy. or maybe everyone now riding loose trucks makes the boards seem less snappy.

or further thought, perhaps it's just the microphone on the camera from that period.

[in love w/ fs shuvs]

Probably nostalgia

[layzieyez]

Board construction is much better currently.

[JM]

The poppy sound is related to how strong and snappy your muscles and ligaments are.

Apologies, but we’re O.A.F.

Upon further reflection, it’s also likely due to the cameras and how they picked up sound. Refer to: VX1000.  (*ha, you said the same thing. Whoops. But yeah… microphones for sure helped with that crispy sound. Grinds were especially delightful)

[Ok]

Board construction is much better currently.

is it?
i think board construction is more consistent, in today’s times, but im not sure about ‘better’.


it is the sound of the video/vx imo as well
i too am old, and wish it was an equipment issue ….””

and also, good boards back when, stuck out more. i’d hazard a guess that some glues from back then are no longer used, boards were silk screened instead of heat transferred, made closer to point of sale, blah blah blah. wood was probably better back then as well.
the epoxy that is used on the dam boards (i think) makes them stiff, heavier, not as lively imo. last longer tho, and are very consistent, which is what i think most folks refer to as better.
not me man. give me one of those mid 90s world boards on prime wood that i was going to break that day, those were the shit. yes it broke. yes i landed my one nollie hardflip.

[Jort250]

Sorry but unless you had an Uber Light, I feel like it’s probably the same

[bartlaser]

You were poppier back in the day.

As we get older, we go from poppy to floppy.

[steve]

someone mentioned the consistency of decks in the current era. same sizing, shape, mold, thickness etc.

I'm remembering like 97-01 decks feeling very different all the the time. Certain companies felt lighter and subsequently poppier (AWS, Element, AH), some felt like bricks (santa cruz, powell).

Probably has a lot to do with woodshops, presses used, types of wood/where wood was sourced, etc

Also, if companies are still using hardrock maple, the quality of the wood isn't as good for say, carpentry, as was it was 20-30 years ago, straight up, but maybe the younger growth wood is better for skateboards

[yghartsyrt]

Upon further reflection, it’s also likely due to the cameras and how they picked up sound. Refer to: VX1000.  (*ha, you said the same thing. Whoops. But yeah… microphones for sure helped with that crispy sound. Grinds were especially delightful)

This!!!

[backside_frontside]

I hate to break it to you brah, but yeah, you're just old now. I am too

[Skate34860]

so I was watching:

and something that stood out to me was the crisp sound of the pop. it made me think of old set ups I had around that period and perhaps they were more poppy. or maybe everyone now riding loose trucks makes the boards seem less snappy.

or further thought, perhaps it's just the microphone on the camera from that period.

I was thinking the same thing. I just got back into skateboarding a few months ago and  I just bought a zoo York deck before they went out of business for cheap. I want to get a different deck as the shape is completely different from what I remembered. I feel like decks just used to sound different too but also I just turned 35 so I could’ve been skating a bit harder with and popping Better. Any suggestions from the group? Think I may try alien workshop again as that was my go to when I was younger but hoping they’re made the same way and somewhat the same shape.

[j....soy.....]

Maybe what everyone is referring to is how PS boards were 20 years ago……

[radcunt]

Dunno if this relates to skateboards but they were probably made more from old growth wood back then and old wood has denser grain.  100 year old floorboards deal with water etc much better than new plantation wood boards for the same reason.  Denser wood would give a crisper pop I’d think.

[steve]

Dunno if this relates to skateboards but they were probably made more from old growth wood back then and old wood has denser grain.  100 year old floorboards deal with water etc much better than new plantation wood boards for the same reason.  Denser wood would give a crisper pop I’d think.

maybe it was old growth. that's an interesting and not invalid take.

that said, 100 year old floorboards were already a couple hundred years old when they were milled. that wood, during it's time as a floor board, never stopped aging/curing, helping it deal with water even better. of course old growth, or even just older lumber is better for any type of woodworking. but ive never thought about decks being old growth maple.

would having greater density per ply make the deck heavier? I've got some 2x dimensional lumber that was taken out of a 125 year old house. grain is exceptionally tight and the wood is heavy (still smells good when you plane it too), heavier than any contemporary 2x dimensional lumber of the same size. i really don't know

[Eddy Mitchel]

I don't think they were better. Our legs were for sure.

[Skate34860]

Probably nostalgia

So just bought a Powell flight deck and that pop sound came back. Thought it was a gimmick but said whatever I have the money to pick one up to try so I did. Glad I did my first Tre flip I popped so damn high when I landed I shot out. Was insane and the pop sound from it was that crisp sound I remember back in the day. Well worth the money for anyone considering them. Don’t think I’ll try any other deck from
This point forward.

[PolkaV]

Sounds like thin decks with hard wheels to me.

[myfeetarekillingme]

There’s a lot more to the acoustics of the pop sound than just the wood itself. Trucks, wheels, bearings, and hardware can all have an effect on how it sounds when you pop the kicks. To make my board sound how I like, I make sure all my hardware is fully tightened, leave some play in the axles so the wheels are able to move at least a little bit, and maybe most importantly I only run shieldless bearings because bearings packed with grease/covered with shields dampen a good bit of that resonance. I don’t care if that makes for a technically slower and less efficient roll/premature failure of bearings as some will claim (hasn’t been my experience anyway), it just “feels” better and the whole board sounds more crisp so that is worth any marginal loss of efficiency or durability to me.

[swongolianbbq]

I like a really dry, high pitched sounding board

I skate BBS mostly

Bearings degreased and no shields with a little play on the axle too

The comments about the microphones is probably the biggest factor

But I found that looser trucks/softer bushings didn't sound as crispy for sure

[Unkle Fleak]

Vx my pal. That’s part of the misteek of aural bloarding

[S.]

Board construction is much better currently.

I don't think so. I think decks now have more pop, but they break more easily. Must be a difference in glue. Epoxy is much more prevelant now than in the early twothousands. My guess is that with epoxy you can use cheaper wood. So instead of getting soft the decks will just break after a while.

[MOE SYZLAK]

I had always heard that boards with more tapered tails have more "pop". Less contact with the ground means less surface contact and less friction.
It seems most brands have more rounded / squared nose and tails these days.
But yeah Im old too and cant pop as high as I once could.

[pugmaster]

My girlfriend told me my pop is the perfect size and that when other people pop really high, it hurts.

[lydius]

You were poppier back in the day.

As we get older, we go from poppy to floppy.

yessssss

someone gnar him plz

[SwitchBenihana]

Nothing gear quality related was better back in the day.

[ChuckRamone]

I think there's some truth to this. I have an old setup in my parent's garage and the deck feels denser like it has more wood and less glue than modern decks. Maybe better quality wood from older trees too.

That feeling could just be from the deck's age but maybe not.