I'd use that stuff in a heartbeat! After using it for bindings as well as headplate and butt wedge, I'm ready to try E.robusta on a guitar.
Joel...send me all of the nasty Eucalyptus you can find. I'll gladly take it off your hands.
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| Author: | Chansen [ Tue Mar 13, 2007 2:40 pm ] |
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Anyone here ever use eucalyptus as a b/s set? How did it look and sound? More curious than anything, I don't have any plans for using it quite yet. Thanks, |
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| Author: | Joel [ Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:05 pm ] |
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Which species? There are about 700 species. Or even a common name would help, as I'm interested in the answer to this as well. Stringybark, Gum, Ironbark, Ash? |
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| Author: | Joel [ Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:01 pm ] |
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After a little bit on online research I've found out that Redgum probably very good for guitars due to its tendency to crack. How the other varieties rate I don't know. |
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| Author: | Joel [ Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:04 pm ] |
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Sorry. That should be ISN'T very good for guitars. I shouldn't say it.... but I miss the edit button. |
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| Author: | Bobc [ Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:21 pm ] |
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Here's a Goodall at Gryphon http://www.gryphonstrings.com/instpix/26171/26171.html and a few sets for sale here. http://www.rctonewoods.rcefaluguitars.com/eucalyptus.htm |
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| Author: | JJ Donohue [ Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:34 pm ] |
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I'd use that stuff in a heartbeat! After using it for bindings as well as headplate and butt wedge, I'm ready to try E.robusta on a guitar. Joel...send me all of the nasty Eucalyptus you can find. I'll gladly take it off your hands.
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| Author: | bob_connor [ Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:43 pm ] |
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JJ. They use eucalyptus over here to frame up houses and most of it is generally regarded as too unstable to use as instrument wood. Local lumber yards are full of it and regardless of what type of Eucalyptus it is it given the generic term of "hardwood". I guess us Aussies see most of it as just another dirty old gum tree. E.robusta is known here as Swamp Mahogany. I've only ever heard of it being used for fencing in NSW or Queensland. Furniture manufacturers use Victorian Ash or Tasmanian Oak (E.regnans or E.Delegatensis or E.Obliqua)which is highly regarded and expensive. But not much used in instruments. Jarrah is a type of Eucalypt from West Australia that is used for instrument building. I'm hoping Tim might jump in here as he knows more than anyone about native species. Bob |
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| Author: | Bobc [ Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:58 pm ] |
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Bob like they say "One man's food is another man's poison" James Goodall seems to think it is a good tonewood and so do I. 
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| Author: | Kim [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:19 am ] |
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In Joel's defence there is A LOT of different eucalyptus/eucalypts here in AU and more than one have been lumped with the generic tag "Red Gum". Over in the West, the name red gum is hung upon the common Marri(Eucalyptus calophylla)and if you can find a clear bit of 1/4 sawn board it makes a great guitar, problem is that sap veins are very prominent so ya just gotta get lucky. I know of another type of "red gum" you would have to be a right dickhead to make anything from but a fire, and even then not indoors as you will only succeed in gumming up your chimney quick smart. As JJ and Bob suggest, E, robusta (swamp mahogany) is a fine tonewood as I believe are quite a few others eucalyptus/eucalypts but to give a better idea HERE is a list of 101 COMMON forest dominant Eucalypts that thrive in the bush of AU. Remember this is just a list of a few and does not represent the many. So as Joel said when addressing the question about eucalyptus/eucalypts as a tonewood, it really does depend which one your talking about. My guess is, that eucalyptus/eucalypts, just like most Australian species are mostly untried in this craft making Australia a great place to be if you like guitar building and exploring the unknown. Cheers Kim |
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| Author: | Martin Turner [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:22 am ] |
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Ive seen Tassie Oak used on a double bass....looked very nice and bent okay. |
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| Author: | Bobc [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:05 am ] |
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Kim thanks for the clarification. 
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| Author: | Aust Tonewoods [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:27 am ] |
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So Bob you think I am an authority on the eucalypt tree! My limited expertise is principally on the Western edge of the continent and the hills and valleys of North West Tasmania. Given the diverse range of climatic condtions, soil types and growth rates of these trees it is difficult to make an all embracing statement. So in brief in the example of Red Gum we have three main tree species. Red Gum (Forrest) Eucalytpus terecornis 1000 kg/cm Red heartwood, interlocking grain. Red Gum(River)Eucalyptus camaldulensis 900 kg/cm Brown - Reddish brown heartwood with an attractive fiddleback or ripple. More challenging to bend. Eucalyptus calophylla 850 kg/cm Pale boney creamy to gray stain with frequent resin pocket. Very easy to bend but if backsawn may have some tension or spiral that might just distort it a little. It is a lighter wood in comparison to the other two and probably easier to manipulate. The tonal qualities of many of the eucalypts is still to be ascertained. For example Jarrah which has also been referred to as Swamp Mahogany has a rather broad range of colour from white to almost red/black with the majority of current stocks at the timber mill being pink. The grain structure whilst usually called "short grain" can range from a stringy configuration a convoluted interlocked difficult piece that only a drum sander or a tooth plane can deal with. Wandoo (Eucalyptus Wandoo) which is an extremely heavy resonant material is excellent for guitar producing an excellent reflective surface. It has a high tanin level and the surafce will darken over time if the correct finish is not applied. I am currently sourcing some Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis) which shows great promise. Visually it would look like Tiger Maple. Darwin Stringybark (Eucalyptus tetrodonta) looks like a winner with an amazing silky interlocked grain looking like a golden sapele. When I get the hang of posting URL based images I will put a few on the forum. In summary there are probably many possibilites. The thing is to get some material and try it out. kind regards Tim |
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| Author: | Chansen [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:50 am ] |
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I love the OLF! I just ask a question, go to bed, and wake up to a multitude of answers and opinions. You guys are great, really. Bobc- Your site is what sparked my question, you have some nice looking sets on there. I just wanted to see what everyone's thoughts were on it. Though it sounds like it is very dispersed. Either way, I hope you still have a few sets when I can jump in. Thanks everyone! |
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| Author: | Brock Poling [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:10 am ] |
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Can this be right? Red Gum (Forrest) Eucalytpus terecornis 1000 kg/cm Am I low on caffine today, or does this say 1000 kilograms per centimeter (I presume cubed). ~2200lbs per cubic centimeter? I am not throwing stones at your data, but I am suspecting there is a decimal place missing or the units are wrong... or I am just not reading this right.... Which admittedly is very pssible. 
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| Author: | Sam Price [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:14 am ] |
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How strange to find this thread!!!
I had a vivid dream last night that I was building a guitar out of Eucalytus. The smell was absolutely divine...strange. |
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| Author: | Sam Price [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:16 am ] |
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/\ I've just realised that I dream about building guitars...how sad and nerdy..... |
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| Author: | old man [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:14 am ] |
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Maybe nerdy, but certainly not sad!!
Ron |
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| Author: | Bobc [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:34 am ] |
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Brock I believe that's cubic meter. |
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| Author: | Aust Tonewoods [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:15 am ] |
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Hi Brock, Cubic metre (m3) not cubic centimetre (cm3). I will make sure i don't use this abbreviation again as I don't want you to get stressed. regards Tim |
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| Author: | Ken Franklin [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:38 pm ] |
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Here's a guitar I made with some eucalyptus from Northern California. I think it might be blue gum. It bent fairly easily but wanted to ripple a little. It was quite dense and I had to be careful routing the bindings, but I like a challenge. http://www.franklinguitars.com/10.html |
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| Author: | russ [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:43 pm ] |
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My biggest fear in using eucalyptus for a guitar is that there is a good possibility that it would be devoured by koalas....
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| Author: | Bobc [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:32 pm ] |
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Ken that is a beautiful example. 
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| Author: | bob_connor [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:26 pm ] |
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Them Koalas are a fussy bunch Russ. In any given population area they'll only eat maybe one or two of the available eucalypt species. I reckon your guitars are reasonably safe.
Bob |
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| Author: | j.Brown [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 2:18 am ] |
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What is the tonal quality of Eucalyptus? -j. |
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| Author: | Chansen [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:55 am ] |
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Russ - Keep them koalas away from my guitar! Ha. |
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