Official Luthiers Forum!

I was wondering if anyone has used dogwood for a bridge plate. I know that it is very hard and dense. Tough as nails! It also has very tight grain, almost invisible grain lines. Seems like it would be a very durable wood for a bridge plate. Anybody?

Mark L.

Mark buddy durable is part of the game for a good bridge plate but does it ring well. I don't know so I am asking?

Another consideration is weight. If the weight of a bridge can impact the performance of a guitar top so too can the weight of the bridge plate.

Hesh,

A friend of mine uses dogwood to make "primitive" type furniture, tables, stools, and such. He cuts it in the spring so the bark peels off easily. He uses a draw knife and a shaving horse to peel the bark. I always thought that it might make a pretty good bridge plate, but I have never used it. I thought somebody might have experience using it as such. It is heavy for sure!

Mark L.

You might get that "bark" some people listen find desirable in a guitar.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Speaking of different wood for bridge plates, what about black locust? I have a log of black locust that is too short for backs or sides, will this make a good bridge plate?

Vince

I'm more a "growl" man myself but I guess that would also work.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

I'm a tree hugger on this one folks.

They are absolutely too pretty in the Spring to cut for wood. I always cringe when someone cuts one of these they grow so slowly.

I have one just outside my shop door and enjoy it immensely.

I bet if you asked and "paid the shipping", we OLFers could send you a dump truck load of bridge plates of a myriad of species "for free".

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

They grow like weeds down here Bruce, and mine just started blooming on Sunday. The redbuds are blooming too and its a pretty looking spring so far.

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Reguards,

Ken H

I lived in South Georgia for a while They are almost nuisance tree down there. Dogwoods kill my wife in the spring. and for some reason attracted a large Nat commonly call love bugs. It's swarms would darken spotlight during their bloom. I am no tree hugger but I am not a slash and burner either but sometimes you have to remove trees to survive in you environment. We had to have 3 taken out and tried to get an arbor-est to relocate them and was told they do not transplant well at all so we had them cut down. The timber was donated to a local wood working technical school that kiln drys it and uses to build unfinished furniture like spindle Charis.

Who sells Honduran Rosewood BP's???Or Osage O?

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Here is what a Parlor Guitar is for!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa8PkjO6_I

Great...... why didn't you tell me this when I was married????????

Bob C at RC tonewoods, one of our great sponsors, has it on occasion. I noticed his last batch of Argentine persuasion lasted only a few days.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I meant HR Bridge Plates.

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Here is what a Parlor Guitar is for!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa8PkjO6_I

Once in a while I see OO turning stock at our local Windsor Plywood store (very misleading name, they carry exotics too) or Woodcraft. It's always been pretty wet.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I hope no one is selling bridge plates. At some point there is a limit to what you buy precut, unless you want to assemble a kit.

HRW is often somewhat brittle, although it is hard, heavy, and rings wonderfully. You might consider laminating it for use as a plate. I have just started to use it for bridges; got some nice quartersawn blanks from BobC.

Black locust is the strongest of the N. American hardwoods; wears like iron. I have no idea of its damping characteristics, but you could hardly make a better choice for wear resistance..

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Al Carruth did some testing of Black Locust recently and found it was almost identical to Brazilian Rosewood in most of the tonal/density/damping characteristics.

Al ?

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I have some American Osage Orange and some Black Locust. For you folks that drill holes in your bridge plates (standard, pinned bridge) what is your favored grain orientation for bridge plates? (I assume rift cut.)

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia