Official Luthiers Forum!

Like many of the folks here, I buy my share of zoot from the OLF advertizers, and believe me, I deeply appreciate the excellent wood at a great value that they make available to us. But my resources are limited all too often, so I'll frequently drop in at the two local hardwood retailers here in Houston, to see what they might have sitting around on the shelves.

A couple months ago, I found these two pieces of cocobolo:



The piece on the right should yield two side sets and several headplates, and is close to qs. The piece(s) on the left (just pretend it is one piece -- I cut it up before taking a pic of it) is kinda-sorta quartered, with the edge of the heartwood showing in the middle.

I haven't cut up the piece for sides yet. But I resawed the big piece and got four back sets out of it. Big enough for classicals or parlors. I'll use them for classicals.




This is kiln-dried stuff, but the color will darken and even out within a month or two. So, time to sticker them and let them season for a while.

Well. Now I have four more back sets of coco, but only two more side sets. Guess when the time comes to start building with these, I'll be calling on the Zootman or another of our kindly suppliers, hat in hand, pleading that they'll consider parting with a spare side set of coco.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

I love the smell of cocobolo in the morning.

Al

That looks a lot like my Nicaraguan stuff, but more flat-sawn than mine. Very pretty wood eh?

Still, I prefer the smell of BRW in the morning...

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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."

Pretty wood Michael!

Anything smells better than sanding zebrawood in the morning

Nice find Michael! Thats great to find coco like that at your local hardware.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Great find Michael!

Funny where you can find 'the call of the zoot'. Why, just today, while at work, I was admiring a beautiful desk (heritage piece, I work on Parliament Hill in Ottawa) and that zoot had the most wonderful curl in it... Mahogany, very well seasoned as it's probably over a century old. Nice thick stock...

Now I hope you'll all forget this thread when I mention that one of my guitars has mahogany, not from 'the tree', but from 'the desk'...

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Pretty stuff, Michael.
Now, what's the name of that hardwood store?

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Hey Dave,

Well I wish it was the local hardware place. Might have been a little cheaper. It was one of the local hardwoods places. Houston Hardwoods, to be exact. They have a "shorts and drops" section, which is where I usually head first. In the past, I've had some pretty good finds there. Stuff like padauk, bloodwood, and several nice pieces of coco, a few even nicer than these.

Steve,

Houston Hardwoods in on 34th Street, just east of Hwy 290.

Best,

MichaelMichael McBroom38912.9599305556

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Live to Play, Play to Live

If you enjoy the smell of diff woods in the morning, try bloodwood-smells great.
Bob

Yup, you can definately find some nice wood around....even Home Depot or Lowes can have some purdy stuff laying aroung

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Michael, You know where you can get those sides if'n you need'um.

G