Australian Solid Body Wood

[stiggz]

hi everyone,

im lookin for some australian or new zealand wood for a through neck bass which is currently on the drawing board, i'd like a relativly warm/mellow tone, and a dark on light laminate situation with dark wings, does anyone have ideas?, some help from the more established aussies (dan & perry) or anyone else with some knowledge of this stuff would be apprecieted.

thanks in advance

luke.

[rhoads56]

tasmanian blackwood will do what you want.

[Mr Alex]

tasmanian blackwood will do what you want.

←

I cant remember what blackwood looks like(pretty good I would guess)

but if you can get it, use a golden kauri neckthru with rimu wings, that would be wicked, and a jarrah fretboard!

simple and understated

Edited May 19, 2005 by Mr Alex

[psw]

Where would you find a big chunk of timber like you'd need down here...are there specialty suppliers for this type of thing?

[Dan_007]

I'm in melbourne and I got my mahogany from a timber place in vermont, they have lots of different types of wood there, as fas as I know they're the only ones around that carry the stuff we're after...

Matthews Timber

Rooks rd Vermont

(03) 9874 1666

[psw]

Thanks...I'm in Melbourne too...it's a fair way across town, but good tip, thanks.

[stiggz]

tasmanian blackwood will do what you want.

←

I cant remember what blackwood looks like(pretty god I would guess)

but if you can get it, use a golden kauri neckthru with rimu wings, that would be wicked, and a jarrah fretboard!

simple and understated

←

yeah.. have heard of tazzy black wood, golden kauri.... ive seen a number of bowls carved outta that stuff. i got a bookmark made outta rimu last time i was over in NZ, not sure how that would sound. wat about cooktown iron wood?, ive heard good things about it

[Jehle]

I wondered about Rimu too when I was in NZ. It looked like a mahogany, but that doesn't mean that it would sound like it. Most of the Rimu I saw was also antique or reclaimed somehow. Is it rare now or something?

I've been wanting to get a slab to make a LP copy because of the mahogany comparison.

[Mr Alex]

I wondered about Rimu too when I was in NZ.  It looked like a mahogany, but that doesn't mean that it would sound like it.  Most of the Rimu I saw was also antique or reclaimed somehow.  Is it rare now or something?

I've been wanting to get a slab to make a LP copy because of the mahogany comparison.

←

rimu is a native, and our country prides itself on being all greeny(our green party got i think it was 12% last election) therefore they dont like cutting it down. the easiest way to get it is to go to a furniture dismantler that resells for making new tables and stuff.

I believe that small amounts are cut down under licence though. kauri comes in white, golden and one other form of which golden is most prized. you get it by going to the forest and cutting down a mammoth tree, then running cos it will crush you, and the hippies will now want to kill you. or you dig it up from a peat swamp.

we have quite a few woods that I understand to be good for guitar making, but are unfortunatley natives.

fiji have a nice species of kauri, good pieces are a golden yellow, with orange and brown streaks. it also doesn't get knots.

edit:scroll down for stuff on woods, rata, kauri, rimu

hehe new zealand is great, why buy paua abalone when a snorkel is all you need!

Edited May 16, 2005 by Mr Alex