gnawblock Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 Hey folks. I'm thinking of building a guitar and I just needed to know if my wood selection would work for the body. I'd like to try ebony with a purpleheart top. I think it would look incredible, though i'm not sure if it would actually sound good. What do you all think? I don't wanna go spending untill....you know. Help me out. Thanks gnawblock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 Ebony is WAY expensive and so heavy you wouldn't want to play it for more than 5 minutes. Ask yourself, is there anywhere on the internet you can find an Ebony bodied guitar? I think probably not, and it's for a reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunkielad Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 Ya know I love how straight forward Drak is! I agree with him too. It'd be very expensive and very heavy to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitefly SA Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 Thats what dye is for, make the body out of alder or something with tight grain then dye it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Irizarry Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 Ebony is WAY expensive and so heavy you wouldn't want to play it for more than 5 minutes. I'm with Drak. What's the point of an instrument that's beautiful to look at but discourages you to play it? Ultimately, the guitar is a tool and that's not to say that the tool can't be beautiful as well. However, the tool should encourage its use not discourage its use. Here's a link that might be helpful. It is from Woodsgood and shows densities for various woods. Note how much more dense ebony (59-69 lb per cu. ft) is compared to mahogany (30-52 lb per cu. ft.). By comparison, alder (probably the most commonly used wood for bodies and information found at Wood and Wood Products Wood of the Month) is in the 29-31 lb per cu. ft range making ebony AT LEAST twice as dense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american_jesus Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 not only would that guitar be incredibly expensive and heavy, it'd be incredibly bright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 (edited) I'm with Drak, although I would LOVE to see somebody actually make one just to say "I MADE ONE". A bad idea can also be simultaneously AWESOME. Like a granite Strat. Edited August 21, 2006 by Prostheta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnawblock Posted August 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2006 Thanks for the input guys. I understand the downfalls of using ebony and the dye suggestion is a good idea though i would like to keep the body all natural. Any suggestions on a wood that has alot black through it but doesn't get overpowered by red or brown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted August 22, 2006 Report Share Posted August 22, 2006 Why not try wenge instead. It would still be heavy but you could chamber under the purpleheart top to reduce weight. It does have pale brown streaks but they darken nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGGR Posted August 22, 2006 Report Share Posted August 22, 2006 Why not use Ebony veneer??? Or thin Ebony top?? Then you have best of both worlds, the looks of Ebony combined with Alder or Mahogany type body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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