ScottR Posted November 27, 2010 Report Share Posted November 27, 2010 I'm all about alternative woods. Maple, poplar and walnut are about the only "mainstream" woods I use. If it grows around here, I am not afraid to put a saw in it and see what happens. I have used Eastern red cedar, butternut, sassafras, cucumbertree, sweetgum, hickory, cherry, elm, chestnut, persimmon, locust, beech, osage orange, honeylocust, and Kentucky coffetree. How do they sound? Like guitars. I have a hard time placing the sound of a guitar in a way I can describe, and I'm never really sure how much of it is in the wood anyway. What the heck is a cucumbertree? I'm familiar with the rest, although I've only run across the name Kentucky coffeetree. Amiee, you should check out some of that osage orange for your next longbow. It was prized for bow making by the Osage Indians where I grew up (where, not when) and their bows were prized and traded for by all the other tribes in the area. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted November 28, 2010 Report Share Posted November 28, 2010 Cucumbertree (Magnolia acuminata) is closely related to yellow poplar, and is very similar, but lighter and softer. When cut for timber, it usually gets mixed in with and marketed as poplar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helldunkel Posted November 28, 2010 Report Share Posted November 28, 2010 You know after all "alternative woods" is a description of woods that we either are: - not familiar with, - do not know - OR that we are not aware about simply because the guitar industry simplified the wood generic terms for so many years. Here is another one from my private stock - TANOAK Persimmon Ebony (which is funny because nobody gives a **** about it until we call it by its other name ''pale moon ebony'' ) Then you have the attention of all the little forum kids.... Oregon Myrtlewood Pistachio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim37 Posted December 2, 2010 Report Share Posted December 2, 2010 got wood? under black light Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helldunkel Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 I just plained this epic piece of claro walnut today for my up comming 30'' scale baritone 8 string guitar, tought I would share... Perfectly quatersawn and ready to work on. Its very old, and it was cut down 100 years ago, its also been in my workshop in a controled environnement for about 2 years, its umbalivably stable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 I really like that walnut...it's a sweet wood for neck lams as well.If I had that piece and it was long enough I would make a ton of 3/8" strips for laminating with several necks...maple/walnut/maple/walnut/maple and mahogany/walnut/mahogany/walnut/mahogany... I have some really great quartersawn limba I am making necks with,and some really nice figured bubinga for neck through lams as well. I also have a 6 ft by 2" by 6" riftsawn piece of what I seem to think is bubinga or something equally porous and dense...I can't recall what the hell it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 I also have a 6 ft by 2" by 6" riftsawn piece of what I seem to think is bubinga or something equally porous and dense...I can't recall what the hell it is The rest of my wood collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 Oh..I also have these veneers for super thin neck accents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotYou Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 That definitely looks like bubinga in the photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 Yeah..but the only thing is...look at the 5th photo down...see those two matching pieces of red wood sitting next to each other and about three pieces to the left of the big piece of mystery "bubinga"? That is bubinga...and the color difference is what is bothering me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helldunkel Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 Thats a nice collection you have there! I go hunting sometimes and I find pieces of wood that look like this in the rough... Then look like this once finished... Turned out to be a gorgeous piece of flatsawn zebrano, perfect for an awesome top... Anybody would probably trash away the piece of wood from the first picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotYou Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 (edited) Yeah..but the only thing is...look at the 5th photo down...see those two matching pieces of red wood sitting next to each other and about three pieces to the left of the big piece of mystery "bubinga"? That is bubinga...and the color difference is what is bothering me... That still looks like bubinga. I'd be willing to bet it is. I've seen it look like everything from dark purple to pale pink. I bet if you wet it, it'll look more like color you're expecting. I don't know of any other wood with that kind of grain and pores and that color. Edited December 7, 2010 by NotYou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helldunkel Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 Got this insane Pauo Ferro board today! One of my all time favourite fingerboard wood choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 I love pau ferro...I have a board on a seven string V,and it is the perfect middle ground between ebony and rosewood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 nice color variation chechen and canary can have some nice variations too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helldunkel Posted December 8, 2010 Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 I was finally able to take a picture of this insane macassar ebony top! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 8, 2010 Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 Why has everything got to be insane?Wouldn't it be nicer to say it is "Sanity challenged"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helldunkel Posted December 8, 2010 Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 "Sanity challenged"? hehehe I like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotYou Posted December 8, 2010 Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 I was finally able to take a picture of this insane macassar ebony top! http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/6067/photo634x.jpg ...I think I'm a little jealous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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