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I have heard that it is terribly spintery (real word?) and difficult to work with in this type of work. But it sure seems to make nice boats doesn't it? Go figure.

Donovan

Great for underwater guitars!

Teak light ??? Compared to what ??? The stuff I have seen up here is heavier than rosewood.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I've also read that it's among the oiliest of woods, and very difficult to glue.

Extremely dense from what I hear. Should project well, no?

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

Carlton hit on it...oily, waxy, tough to glue. Worse than cocobolo. It can be very pretty though. We have a counter at work for displaying sailing magazines and other items we sell that is mostly Curly Teak...very beautiful stuff.

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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."

Interlux....great stuff.

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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."

When building the Fishmarket restaurant in San Diego, I used over 100,000 bd ft of teak. West Systems was used exclusively after washing the joints with acetone ( let it dry completely before gluing. That was 19 years ago and there have not been any failures. Teak varies in density. The darker pieces tend to have higher densities. If the piece is extremely oily it tends to deaden the tonal qualities. Very little teak is kiln dried, so check with a moisture meter. Burmese is the best, maylasian a good second- african dead last. Give it a try, Best source- East Teak in Seattle. Direct importers of the best stuff.

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Dean

I was a plant manager for a small boat Mfg.
We and most of the other bigger Mfg.
used the african, (afromosa) not a true teak.
(most people never knew the difference)
Real teak,(Burmese) is the best for boats.
It can be very oily,and have a high mineral content.
I have made a few dulcimers with the african and
I feel if you are looking for the teak look you
would try that. Nice ringing tap tones, and a little
easier on your tools. Just a suggestion.

Tom

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http://www.moriciguitar.com

Iroko, or afromosa is often used for African drums and flutes...Sam Price38946.0797800926

just a note.
Afromosa aka/ iroko are not teak. Teak root stock was taken from burma to parts of africa for plantations. It is very knotty with little oil content. I used to import this stuff to Italy from north africa. They would make cheap "teak" patio furniture. If you want Afromosa/Iroko ask for it by specie, if you want to build a guitar of teak make sure you know its source.

Dean

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Dean

Dean
I trust you know more about this wood than I do.
So this is not to counterdict you in any way.
What we bought as afromosa, (over 30 yrs. ago)
was "knot free" (8/4 stock )who knows what it was.
These days I want to know what the scientific name is
to be sure of what Im buying

Tom

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http://www.moriciguitar.com

Tom,
I just want Hesh to get the real thing. It is a beautiful wood and very easy to sand and shape but it hates steel and even carbide. Expect dull blades!
Seal with shellac and finish as you prefer. Very stable and not sensitive to normal RH shifts. Don't worry too much about the wood color when you purchase because in a couple of years it will all look the same after it is exposed to sunlight.

Dean

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Dean