Odin Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Hi I have just made a guitar of walnut. Its very lightweight compared to eg maple and mahogany... I tought walnut was supposed to be in the category as those.. Im i just very lucky? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Maple is heavier than mahogany, by a good bit, but Walnut's about the same weight as Mahogany on average, generally a touch heavier, even. Both are medium-weight woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 I doubt what you have is Walnut if it's that light. Show us a closeup of the wood so we can check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Walnut varies in weight. I'm not sure why, but it does. Probably has something to do with how fast it grows. I've seen some that was almost as light as pine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 Walnut is much lighter than Hard Maple. Mahogany? just depends on the piece. Walnut is much like Big leaf Maple it can vary quite a bit depending. Generally the light weight Walnut has poor tonal properties. (Just kidding...). A pic would be kinda cool. Do you know if it is Western (Black, or Claro) or English or maybe an eastern black variety(really it has a wide range). Peace,Rich Walnut is much lighter than Hard Maple. Mahogany? just depends on the piece. Walnut is much like Big leaf Maple it can vary quite a bit depending. Generally the light weight Walnut has poor tonal properties. (Just kidding...). A pic would be kinda cool. Do you know if it is Western (Black, or Claro) or English or maybe an eastern black variety(really it has a wide range). Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin Posted June 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 (edited) walnut? a friend of mine gave it to me, and he told me it was walnut...but when i think of it he use to work a lot with teak as well. But then again, teak is normally really heavy. Edited June 20, 2006 by Odin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 walnut? Looks like Black Walnut to me. How much does the body weigh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin Posted June 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 (edited) Im not shure but it weights a bit less than my alder strat. Edited June 20, 2006 by Odin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 walnut? Looks like Black Walnut to me. How much does the body weigh? Im not shure but it weights a bit less than my alder strat. Is the Strat a finished body or ruff shapped like this one? PU's and Hardware? You really should grab a scale just for the heck of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin Posted June 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 (edited) The instrument you see on this pic is a p-bass (in the making)..mahogany with walnut top. I have an all walnut guitar made of the same pice of wood...but i did not have a picture of it. I willl check out the weight of it.. Edited June 20, 2006 by Odin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 Looks like Black Walnut to me I agree. It looks very much like walnut. I’m curious. How does the all walnut guitar sound? Is it a walnut neck too? Fretboard? (and type of guitar, pickups etc for reference of cause) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin Posted June 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 Warmoth wenge/ebony baryton neck (i dont make my own necks) and emg 81-85. I have also made one walnut body guitar with single coils. They both sounds very lively and snappy..its like the wood loves to be played on I would say its tonal caracter is just between maple and mahogany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 I've been trying to figure out what the wood I've been using is: Mystery wood? Looks a lot like the walnut, only what I have is distinctly reddish --more like mahogany I suppose. It's from a plank that's been here for 50 years, so no one knows what it is or where it came from. Don't know if this helps, but when it's freshly planed/sanded it's a reddish/orangish color. After a few days though, it darkens and turns gray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin Posted June 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 (edited) Could it be cherry? looks a bit brown though.. How does it sound? My cherrywood gives a very high pitch tone when i knock on it. Have not made anything of it yet. Edited June 20, 2006 by Odin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 It looks a little to dark and brownish for cherry. And the grain makes me think that it might be mahogany. Mick, for colour reference, what is the wood that your blank is resting on made from? A camera is most of the time not very true when it comes to colours, especially indoors using light bulbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 It looks a little to dark and brownish for cherry. And the grain makes me think that it might be mahogany. Mick, for colour reference, what is the wood that your blank is resting on made from? A camera is most of the time not very true when it comes to colours, especially indoors using light bulbs. The floor? That's 100 percent linoleum! The darker shaded part of the blank is more accurate colorwise, although I'd say the real color is a bit darker still. I agree that it has a definitely mahogany look to it --especially when it's stained cherry red, it's a dead ringer for my Gibson's wood. Except the veins seem less pronounced/dramatic with this wood. Here's a couple other photos of the naked wood: link link link last link I promise When I knock on it, it has a pretty nice ring to it...the neck blank I just made out of it is especially resonant...we'll see how that translates on the guitar. There's a definite difference between this wood, the ash blank I just prepared, and a birch blank I'm getting ready to use--the ash is the brightest, this wood seems most resonant, the birch is kind of a thicker thud-like sound. The guitar I built out of it so far is fairly bright sounding, a pretty crisp midrange --that one has a mahogany neck, a maple back and it's been chambered...although it's hard to say because I have a Rickenbacker pickup at the bridge and a knockoff toaster at the neck (the middle pickup isn't wired). The Rickenbacker is very trebly, but not much sustain. The neck pickup sounds like it's being run through a fuzz box and has TONS of sustain... But I also covered that guitar in acrylic spray paint...I'm sorry about that now. So I'm planning on stripping it down again... And I'll probably end up capping it with maple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 Odin -> walnut Mguard -> cherry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 Odin -> walnut Mguard -> cherry I like the cherry idea...especially since it's cherry season around here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 Mguard -> cherry I’m not sure about that. The colour is a little too red and the grain doesn’t look like the cherry I have used. But I have only used it for one guitar and some desk tops in the kitchen. And all woods vary, I know. Is the wood open grained or close grained? Cherry is close grained and mahogany open. How well did the wood suck up dye? I just imagine that cherry wouldn’t take on dye as well as mahogany. The cherry guitar started with the desktop and I managed to get enough leftovers to build me a nice resolectric. Fixing up the kitchen CAN actually contribute to your guitar building Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 Looks a lot like the walnut, only what I have is distinctly reddish --more like mahogany I suppose. It's from a plank that's been here for 50 years, so no one knows what it is or where it came from. Don't know if this helps, but when it's freshly planed/sanded it's a reddish/orangish color. After a few days though, it darkens and turns gray. Yes, that does help. Sounds like cherry to me. Especially 50 year old cherry. The age explains the color. Cherry gets darker with age, even under the surface. That's why everyone stains it an awful shade of brown on furniture, etc. Impatience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 I agree. First is Black Walnut, and the mystery wood is cherry. Both are fine for building, the Walnut would make a great body, esp if it is lighter. I think the heavier/denser walnuts might make a better bass. But who knows, it came come down to each individual plank. komodo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 Doesn't look like Cherry to me. "Yes, that does help. Sounds like cherry to me. Especially 50 year old cherry. The age explains the color. Cherry gets darker with age, even under the surface. That's why everyone stains it an awful shade of brown on furniture, etc. Impatience." But, "Don't know if this helps, but when it's freshly planed/sanded it's a reddish/orangish color. After a few days though, it darkens and turns gray" Freshly cut, Dark then lightens to grey. Honduran Mahogany can definately have greys and yellows. Sapele can be Dark Brown to Blonde/grey. Khaya- not so much grey but some times can be a little grey (usually has more of the classic Mahogany look). There are a lot of other "Mahogany" type woods that this could be. I would be hard pressed to give a solid answer looking at pictures. The only real mystery to me is that most of them tend to darken not lighten with age. Cherry can get pretty dark over time, but that would be the darkest I have ever seen. The hue just doesn't say cherry to me either (I am used to a pinkish/ brown - not so much orange/brown). Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 Oh, I've seen it get darker than that, even. Freshly cut, Dark then lightens to grey. Not sure what you mean by this. I think Mick said it gets darker and greyer with time. Cherry will take on a bit of grey, particularly in bands between growth rings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 Oh, I've seen it get darker than that, even. Freshly cut, Dark then lightens to grey. Not sure what you mean by this. I think Mick said it gets darker and greyer with time. Cherry will take on a bit of grey, particularly in bands between growth rings. My bad, He did say darker and gray. Cherry does get kinda grayish bands. I dunno.... Just seems different than the cherry I am used to. I can't say what it is for sure so you may be spot on with Cherry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted June 20, 2006 Report Share Posted June 20, 2006 My bad, He did say darker and gray. Cherry does get kinda grayish bands. I dunno.... Just seems different than the cherry I am used to. I can't say what it is for sure so you may be spot on with Cherry. Well, like I said, the idea of cherry pleases me...in fact, just took the boys out to pick cherries this afternoon...ah life in the countryside... The best part of this wood is that the plank was wide enough and thick enough to make a body from a single piece. I have some thin pieces here, I could slip them in an envelope and mail them out, if anyone's really curious. They were sawn off the top of the blank. Just PM me with your address. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.