Official Luthiers Forum!

I got a lump of Gidgee last week, which is a desert acacia from the northern part of Autralia.

This stuff is incredibly hard and HEAVY.

I made a bridge out of it today and it weighs in at 41 grams (before drilling out for the bridge pins.)

The last couple of bridges we made were EIR and weighed in at 24 grams.

The wood has a nice resonant 'ping' to it, similar to EIR and some Goncalo that we have.

Do you reckon it's too heavy?

I'm thinking of trying it on a Rock Maple OM, which should be fairly bright anyway, and it may help to tame the top end a bit.

Here's what it looks like.



Cheers

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

Nice block of gidgee Bob, from what I understand it should be fine with maple, would look great if you could find a FB to match. A lot of builders use ebony on maple for that same reason, to wind in some of the top end and mellow things out a bit so give it a go.

I have some mulga and some beefwood that is the same deal, heavy. I had the same thoughts and intend to use them sometime with a couple of maple set I have aside.

Cheers Kim

I'd like to try it on a few instruments Kim.

I don't think it will have the same impedance characteristics as Ebony 'cause it doesnt have that dull 'thunk' that Ebony has. So I'm keen to try it on a few more instruments as well.

My main concern was the sheer weight of it.

It finishes absolutely beautifully Hesh. Quite a bit darker than the photo above, no pores to speak of and looks like marble when finished with some micromesh and Menzerna.

Has a very pleasant, sweet smell too. (not like the Ovangkol we've been working on the last few weeks. That smells like baby poo. )

Cheers

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

Hi Bob,

I'm building a sapele/euro 000 at the moment, I've got some ringed mayall I'm thinking of using for the bridge and fret board. Very similar stuff, hard to tell it and gidgee apart. It'll be interesting to see how it works. I've been thinking about making a smallish bridge to compensate for the weight, but I'm not sure if it'd improve things or not. Haven't gotten far enough into the build to have to decide yet.

This stuff pings when tapped, and smells like violets when you either wet it or work it. Looks beautiful too.

The other day I was drilling some screw holes into a bit of Gimlet I used to make an indestructible face plate for a woodworking vice. Man it smelt so sweet I could have drilled all day, but I bet that the drill bit couldnt.

Most all of the desert woods smell real nice when you work them, raspberry jam being no exception, that stuff smells delicious. Not like very dark Jarrah though, that just smells like you just ran over a dried dog turd with the lawn mower on a hot day, and we all know what that smells like.

Cheers

Kim

Cheers

Kim