RGGR Posted December 5, 2005 Report Share Posted December 5, 2005 I've been playing with the idea of using ivory as fretmarkers on my guitar. Yeah, yeah....I know Ivory is protected and all that (or actually the elephants that have the stuff in their tusks).....I also know that some parts of the world (Netherlands) won't let you import the stuff..... But still....... What would be the issues when using it, provided you can get your hands on it??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marzocchi705 Posted December 5, 2005 Report Share Posted December 5, 2005 I dont know about the issues, but we got some ivory from old broken piano keys at our school. The teacher wont let us near it tho... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammy Posted December 5, 2005 Report Share Posted December 5, 2005 Good thread, ivory's not hard to get really, provided you're prepared to cut up antiques I was considering it for a nut material - anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted December 5, 2005 Report Share Posted December 5, 2005 Ivory's protected much like Brazilian rosewood is, worldwide, same things apply. Fossilized ivory's easy enough to find, or old piano keys, but beyond that... It's supposed to be the 'ultimate' nut material, but at the prices most of it goes for, it's too rich for my blood. I'd go for unbleached bone, personally. It dosn't have that grained look, but still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGGR Posted December 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2005 (edited) Here are some sources googled up. http://www.cuecomponents.com/ivinsl.html http://www.cuesmith.com/index.php?menu2=me..._inlay_material http://www.ivorybuyer.com/sales/guitar.htm Edited December 5, 2005 by RGGR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M_A_T_T Posted December 6, 2005 Report Share Posted December 6, 2005 What would be the issues when using it, provided you can get your hands on it??? Probably the same as with using bone, the small being one of them... We just got some ivory figurines, a shoe horn & a letter opener from a passed on relative. The carvings are awesome, here is a pic of one of the carvings, which is about 3" tall: The picture doesn't even begin to show off the detail, the guy actually has wrinkles on his face, and even the bottom has the arch of the foot and toes carved in! I'd hate to have to cut up something like this for some nuts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted December 6, 2005 Report Share Posted December 6, 2005 That's a beautiful piece of old world craftmanship, Matt - nice score! My dad has a cool parade of elephants all carved from ivory, the graining is very pretty, probably more so than the carving... it's a shame the only source is Mr.Elephant, because it's a lovely material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted December 6, 2005 Report Share Posted December 6, 2005 I bet there's a color of corian that would look the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclej Posted December 6, 2005 Report Share Posted December 6, 2005 i ordered some pre-ban ivory from a certified dealer for a local gypsy swing player who wanted a nut made from it. when i got it and he brought the guitar in, a gintane, the first thing i saw was the zero fret..oh well, best laid plans and all that..anyway, it can be purchased legally as blanks but be prepared to pay a premium for certified pre-ban stuff..i paid about $35 for a nut blank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdog Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 I've got a small stash of pre-ban ivory in 1/8 in slabs @2in square that I have been using for nuts from a certified source. I was going to put some on Ebay....let me know if you guys are interested in any. I'll pull some out and figure the cost.....$35 for a nut blank is outrageous! Off the top of my head, I think that I could get you enough to make 6-10 nuts for $35....SHIPPED!!! tdog197@nauticom.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugman96 Posted December 11, 2005 Report Share Posted December 11, 2005 it's a shame the only source is Mr.Elephant, because it's a lovely material. ← You could always hunt Mr. Walrus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGGR Posted December 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2005 (edited) On the net I sometimes see Camel Bone mentioned as substitute. Would love to use Ivory as fretmarkers......it get's this wonderful yellowish color over time. Where the elephant may be dead, but the ivory still lives on. Just for clarification: I'm not fan of killing these wonderful animals for their Ivory tusks. But at same time would like to use the material....... Doesn't make sense, doesn't it. I have the same with exotic wood. I would like to be responsible person and use substitute......but at same time........Wenge or Limba has this attraction I can't resist. Darn.... it's hard living with conscious. Edited December 11, 2005 by RGGR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted December 12, 2005 Report Share Posted December 12, 2005 Well, there's bone colored Corian : http://www.getcountertops.com/images/samples/corian/Bone.jpg Ivory colored Corian : http://www.kitchensource.com/kau/images/rs-w-ivory.jpg Vanilla colored Corian : http://www.coriansamples.com/stores/corian...log/vanilla.jpg Bisque colored Corian: http://www.cabinetdiscounters.com/corian/Colors/bisque.jpg Cameo White colored Corian : http://www.cabinetdiscounters.com/corian/C...cameo-white.jpg Glacier White colored Corian: http://www.cabinetdiscounters.com/corian/C...acier-white.jpg Pearl Gray colored Corian : http://www.cabinetdiscounters.com/corian/C.../pearl-gray.jpg Venaro Gray Colored Corian : http://www.cabinetdiscounters.com/corian/C...venaro-gray.jpg Buttercream colored Corian : http://www.cabinetdiscounters.com/corian/C...buttercream.jpg Inlay Master, Larry Robinson uses this stuff for inlays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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