Official Luthiers Forum!

Has anyone used padauk for tops, backs or necks. If so, what kind of tone
does it produce and how does it work as far as chipping or splits and cracks?     
Listening to it when it's tapped it seems to have a very sustained, clear mid
to high pitch. Will that translate to a bright tone?

I've used padauk for neck laminations and also for bindings, but not as 'tonewood'-yet. (I've got a b+s set in the pile.)
I do recall that I had trouble bending the padauk bindings but I didn't have a heat blanket setup at the time.
It tends to be splintery stuff in my experience. I've turned a few things with it as well.
Cheers
John

Well I just found out that the StewMac heating iron and padauk aren't a good
combination. At least for me. Maybe tomorrow I'll try again. At .075 it felt
very flexable. I'm thinking Cherry is a good alternative.

Back and Sides, I went down to .075 and still had a few issues. Not one of my favorites to work. You will like Cherry for B&S or for Necks, easy to bend, work and a good tonewood.

Mike
White Oak, Texas

This shot shows a Padauk neck. It also shows that it has a Purpleheart center stripe. Very heavy neck, by the way.
Of course, the sustain and brightness is remarkable.
But decide what you want your guitar to do, and how you will be playing it. Will it be a stage guitar? 3 hours with this guy strapped around your neck would be gruelling.
I love Padauk, even considering Michael's well-stated cautions.





Steve

_________________
From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

What highdrawlicks said....

I used padauk for the back and sides on my first archtop classical. Beautiful stuff, and a right in the 'rosewood' class in terms of stiffness, denstity and damping. Quartered padauk has super cross grain stiffness, but if you do bend it, even a little, it cracks. I had to have the CA right at hand as I was finishing up the carving on that one.

It does present some problems in bending. Use of a backstrap is a must, if you're hand bending. Also note that if you over heat it, it will turn very dark.

This stuff has the biggest pores I've ever seen....