Official Luthiers Forum!
http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/

question about african blackwood
http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=10651		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Vivian [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 4:35 am ]
Post subject: 
Hello All,

I was wondering if those of you who have worked with african blackwood could offer some info about it. I am interested in it for steel string guitar building:

a) in terms of tone: how does it compare to braz rosewood or indian rosewood or other tonewoods?

b) how is its stability during drying - and also after building?

c) workability? gluing?

d) really tough on tools??

Any info is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Vivian
Author:  Howard Klepper [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:15 am ]
Post subject: 
a) People always repeat Jeff Elliot's analogy: African blackwood is to Brazilian as Brazilian is to East Indian. It is harder, stiffer, and heavier than BR, and even more (a little more, anyway) than BR tends to a deep bass and glassy trebles.

b) more stable in my experience. It is so dense, it has relatively little water content. But it also takes a long time to dry fully.

c) love working it. A carver's dream; holds fine detail. Polishes to a high finish. Glues like other oily woods, such as BR.

d) Some report it dulls tools, but I haven't noticed anything striking in that regard.

Can you tell I like this stuff?
Author:  John How [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:37 am ]
Post subject: 
Hi Vivian, I really enjoyed using this wood as well on the one guitar I've made with it and will do another one soon. The tone was very nice and round on the botton end and full without being boomy but it had that glassiness in spades that BRW is known for.
As for working it, I enjoyed that as well, I thinned the sides to .070" before bending and the back ended up about .075" for my needs. It's a little heavier I think than most BRW so I builtt lighter. I think it would play well with just about any top wood you might care to try.
Have fun on your new project.

Author:  Steve Kinnaird [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:09 am ]
Post subject: 
Vivian, what these fine gents said.
I love how it finishes, how it sounds, and what it does for a guitar.
I don't care much for bending it, and I dread having to pay for it.
That said, choose it for your next "head-turning" guitar.

Steve
Author:  Vivian [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:15 am ]
Post subject: 
Howard, John, and Steve,

Thanks so much for your informative replies! I'm printing them out to show to my spouse before the credit card bill comes!

It may be some time before I feel ready to subject such great wood to my hand. But with what you all have said, I can't wait!

Thanks again
Viv
Author:  Vivian [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:19 am ]
Post subject: 
John,

What a gorgeous guitar!! It's absolutely beautiful!!!

Thanks again,
Viv
Author:  Arnt Rian [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:20 am ]
Post subject: 
I bought some turning blanks that I sliced up for bridge plates, so my experience is limited. I had no problems working it, it was not especially hard on tools, but it sure is dense. Makes wonderful bridge plates...
Author:  Dave White [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 9:29 am ]
Post subject: 
Vivian,

I've made two 13 frets clear guitars using Euro spruce/African blackwood. I would second what Howard, John and Steve have said. To me it has a very complex and etherial tone. One of the guitars I made as my personal 50th birthday guitar and the tone/overtones sometimes is so captivating that I actualy play it in the dark sometimes and get lost in the sound for hours. Here's a soundclip of me playing the guitar Calypso Medley

Gluing , bendability and workability was fine. If you put it through a thickness sander it clogs it up real good though It is a heavy wood and if I were building with it again I would go thinner than usual for the back and sides.

As to stability - that is an interesting issue. It is quite rare to find this wood in 2 piece back sets and my supplier had about 5 or 6 sets. I bought 2 that in terms of looks feel and weight were similar - I don't have a moisture meter. Mine has remained perfectly stable for the last 3 or so years. The other guitar cracked on the back quite badly after about a year or so, and it took me a long time to get it fully stabilised and repaired. Howard may be right and this set may well not have been fully dry when I built with it or some may be less stable and a careful experienced eye in wood selection might help.

I just couldn't pass up the butterfly figure of my back set though:

Dave White39113.7493518519
Author:  JJ Donohue [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 10:30 am ]
Post subject: 
Dave...the sound is terrific. Your playing was also impressive. Thanks for posting!
Author:  Don Williams [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 10:36 am ]
Post subject: 
Sweet! That guitar has a very cedar-esque sound to it. Nice playing too! I can't imagine how good a redwood top with AB would sound. Wowza!

Don Williams39113.8303356481
Author:  Dave Rector [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:14 am ]
Post subject: 
Send it to Howard and have him dovetail it together for you. Then you can resaw it and make dovetail madness guitars.
Author:  Dave Anderson [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:47 pm ]
Post subject: 
That sounded wonderful Dave! What a sweet tonewood!
Great pickin' too!
Author:  Steve Kinnaird [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
Dave,
I'm on dial up which is terminally slow, so I've no clue how nice your guitar sounds.
But, stand back! It looks fabulous.
I can see why you were willing to sleep a few nights on the sofa for that set.

Steve
Author:  Serge Poirier [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 3:41 pm ]
Post subject: 
Dave, and i'm not kidding here, this is probably the best music piece i've ever heard, it felt like i was in a transe, i really was transported throughout the whole piece. I would love to see you play that Live one day.

Thanks Dave!

Serge
Author:  Serge Poirier [ Wed Jan 31, 2007 3:42 pm ]
Post subject: 
Oh and surely the nices back of a guitar too!
Author:  James Ringelspaugh [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 1:48 pm ]
Post subject: 
What a pretty song Dave.
Author:  Dennis E. [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 2:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
We don't get enough sound clips around here. And even if we did, that one would be exceptional.

African Blackwood is now making my WAS flare up.
Page 1 of 1 All times are UTC - 5 hours
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/