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by now you've guessed that coloration is more aesthetic than anything (i love the Bob Taylor video, btw), and the luthiers have sounded on dried wood, seasoned wood, garlic and honey, etc. You need stable wood.
Originally Posted by fumblefingers
I've had many opportunities to tap wood blanks to hear the tones they produce. some use this technique to determine resonant properties of wood, to gauge thickness, find flaws, etc.
While going through a pile of freshly milled dried ebony fretboard blanks, i got a feel for the tone this wood produces. I found it a pleasant "knock" if you will. Then I picked up a piece of african blackwood, same exact milled dimensions, and tapped it. wow, it rang just like a marimba. i was very impressed with this wood. i cannot say how much the individual parts of a guitar contribute to the overall tone, but, I know i wanted that amazing ringing piece of blackwood on my custom guitar. FWIW.Last edited by mikeSF; 10-27-2012 at 04:40 PM.
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10-27-2012 04:38 PM
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Ah yes. Now it makes sense. Thanks Chris. I'll be able to sleep tonight. Heck, I thought an ass-hat was a diaper, either filled or not. Originally Posted by PTChristopher
Hey, why is a politician like a diaper? They're both full of s--t and they need to be changed regularly.
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yes but ebony is used for fretboards, while African blackwood is used for the guitar's sides and back, right?
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Not always. Here's a picture of a beautiful African blackwood arch top bridge assembly. Originally Posted by fumblefingers
African Blackwood
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right.
but what i meant was, people don't use ebony for top, back, or sides, or at least not that i've seen.
Now, African blackwood - a good substitute for rosewood back and sides, or is Cocobolo better?
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Originally Posted by fumblefingers
ive seen african blackwood flattop acoustics (back and sides), but I was specifically referring to it as an ebony replacement for fingerboards, bridges, fingerrests, etc
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Ebony would make a horrible top. It's way too heavy. Macassar ebony is used plenty for flat tops. I would hate to make an ebony back for an archtop. Not only would it be a nightmare to carve but it would also cost a fortune. Ebony is around $90 a board foot right now. I have been curious about African blackwood for bridges for a while. In fact I may build several different bridges for my next guitar just out of curiosity. Oh, and cocobolo is a rosewood. Originally Posted by fumblefingers
right.
but what i meant was, people don't use ebony for top, back, or sides, or at least not that i've seen.
Now, African blackwood - a good substitute for rosewood back and sides, or is Cocobolo better?
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Here is a question for the luthiers in the group. If African Blackwood is such a great tone wood, why are we not using it instead of ebony? To those who've used it, did you notice any appreciable difference? Thanks in advance.
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Because it's horribly expensive ($78 a board foot) and hard to get. Originally Posted by hot ford coupe
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Australian Blackwood is used for back and sides and that's an entirely different wood. African Blackwood is a specific species of rosewood. Australian blackwood is a specific species of Acacia which is a cousin to koa. Originally Posted by fumblefingers
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"I don't think it would be so bad if we just understood what he was saying.."
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Jeffrey Elliott : "African blackwood is to Brazilian rosewood as Brazilian rosewood is to Indian rosewood" .
Makes the eyes water and the knees weak dreaming about possibilities, doesn't it?
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Interesting how this conversation grew to include African blackwood. I'd never even heard of it before I started dealing with Gagnon Arch top bridges from Ultima Guitars. I became dissatisfied with what Heritage is now using for a bridge assembly on their higher priced arch top guitars. For reasons I don't care to speak to in specificity, Heritage shifted from making their own ebony arch top bridges with an Eagle in flight . . to ones without the Eagle (those were obviously used on the Golden Eagles and the Super Eagles) . . . and have now begun to source an ebony 2 footed bridge base assembly from a supply house. There is an example of a Super Eagle with the 2 footed base for sale on archtop.com. I hate it!!
So, I contacted Antonio at Ultima Guitars and started buying Gagnon arch top bridge assemblies for my own new builds for my collection . . . as well as to convert any used instruments I might acquire with a 2 footed base. My sentiment is only towards the solid, carved top higher priced guitars. I'm OK with the ES 175 and it's distant cousin the H 575 having the 2 footed variety.
I put a Gagnon African blackwood bridge assembly on a Golden Eagle I got from Heritage a few months back. I had it inlayed with a D'Angelico type inlay. I love it!! Here's a pic of it. Also, a couple of pics of some other bases I got from Antonio. I had them make me one in African BW with the Eagle in flight inlays so I can show it to Heritage and try to convince them to go back to a bridge base assembly more appropriate for a $7,000 guitar. I'm not quite pleased with the inlay work . . . the birds wings are spread a bit to far . . and the inlay detail could be a bit neater. But, it's just a prototye example. The other two are just a plain ebony and a canary wood. The photos aren't the best . . improper lighting. But, you'll get the drift of it. I REALLY like the ABW and now prefer it over the ebony for bridge assemblies.
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Thanks, Jim. I kind of thought that was the reason. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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here are some shots of the African Blackwood on my Sakashta:
front and back headstock veneers incorporate Afr Blackwood.
fretboard, pickup rings, pick guard, bridge, veneers, and tailpiece were all hand carved from the same billet of Afr Blackwood. I recall Taku said the wood dulled his tools much faster than ebony.
i should explain this curious anchoring of the low string. He provided two ways to anchor the string: threaded through the tailpiece in the usual fashion, OR, anchored under the bridge to add a little stiffness (like the LP folks who wrap the string under the stop bar).
the volume and tone wheel pots are concealed under the finger rest as is a mini toggle for series/parallel switching. From this angle you can see it but from above, it is hidden.Last edited by mikeSF; 10-28-2012 at 11:55 AM.
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Wow . . . that's beautiful mikeSF
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Here's one of ours with an African blackwood bridge plate, pickups rings, knobs and switch tip.
And here's a look at an acoustic guitar with Australian blackwood sides and back. Clearly not the same wood.
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Jim . . what are the bridge saddles made of?
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Steel. We've played around with both blackwood saddles and bone saddles, but the amount of labor makes the price a bit too high and I don't have enough faith in the long term durability of the materials in that form. Originally Posted by Patrick2
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Wow, Mike, you have an archtop by the late and sorely missed Taku! Such indulgence; even the pickguard/fingerrest is made of ABW! And the Tailpiece is carved from ABW! Originally Posted by mikeSF
here are some shots of the African Blackwood on my Sakashta:
front and back headstock veneers incorporate Afr Blackwood.
fretboard, pickup rings, pick guard, bridge, veneers, and tailpiece were all hand carved from the same billet of Afr Blackwood. I recall Taku said the wood dulled his tools much faster than ebony.
i should explain this curious anchoring of the low string. He provided two ways to anchor the string: threaded through the tailpiece in the usual fashion, OR, anchored under the bridge to add a little stiffness (like the LP folks who wrap the string under the stop bar).
the volume and tone wheel pots are concealed under the finger rest as is a mini toggle for series/parallel switching. From this angle you can see it but from above, it is hidden.Last edited by Jabberwocky; 10-28-2012 at 12:57 PM.
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African blackwood sides and back
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I'd hate to see the price tag on the wood set for the backs and sides on that. Originally Posted by fumblefingers
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Gorgeous archtop Mike! Originally Posted by mikeSF
here are some shots of the African Blackwood on my Sakashta:
There's that handwound KA set pup again...it seems to be makin' its rounds on the board the past 3 days.
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it is a pickup i've come to really like for fully hollow archtops and have put one into every archtop i've ever owned (except for my new Benedetto, but that will happen). Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
hehe. what about the bear claw spruce top and Rodgers tuners?
This is Grogory Byers, one of the finest luthiers in the world. His guitars have been/are played by the best (including David Russell). He's in CA and is very reasonably priced compared to the other world class guys.
Gregory Byers' Classical Guitars
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