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Hey guys,

i have just came across some huge african ebony billets and logs a few which are perfectly quarter sawn and about 8" wide.
Some of the half logs are about 20" across (of course these would produce boul cut sets)
my first thought was back and side sets.

I have never built with this wood for a guitar body but i know that people are using it these days for guitars.
I need to know if this wood is suitable before i go ahead and cut sets from these rare wide logs.

my first opinion is that it may be a bit too brittle for guitars and as such may crack during bending.
also it may well be very difficult to bend.
another problem may be cracks occuring after a couple of years in sevice even if its bone dry.
this wood does not like humidity.

If anyone has any experience building guitars with this wood i would be very gratefull for your opinions.

I am not planning on cutting large amounts of this wood into sets becouse i think it will be hard for me to sell but i think in small quantity's it could be quite a good seller.

I will be able to sell sets at $300 or there abouts for a perfectly black quartersawn set so its about the same as macassar is pressent (which i cant get any where by the way) so i am tempted to cut one of the better logs into sets.

Normaly in a case like this i would send a set out to one of my testers but with such an expensive wood this may not be an option especialy if i am only cutting 12 sets or so.
so your opinions are very important to me on this one.

I presume that the main reason it is not a traditonal guitar wood is becouse it is hard to bend but with heat blankets that is no longer so much of an issue.

Thanks alot,

Joel.

I've built with it (multipiece back). The guitar developed one check in the back; not a major one. Ebony has high damping, but the guitar sounded very good. I recently heard a guitar Michael Dunn built with it that sounded great.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Joel-
Allied Lutherie sells black ebony sets. Someone built a guitar for Keith Richards from their wood and apparently he likes it just fine. The story is on their website.http://www.alliedlutherie.com/weekly5.htm

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It's not the miles ahead, it's the stone in your shoe


In Markham,Virginia

Thanks Howard i am worried about checks but i think its worth offering on a small scale and making it clear to people that it may be an issue when they buy.

Joel

Yes i noticed that my wood probably comes from the same supplier germany the wood looks very simmalar.
i saw micheal greenfeilds guitar but he doesent talk about any problems he had with building or anything.
I need to know as much as i can about any issues it may have as tonewood (i hate using that word for back and side woods) before i can offer it for sale.

Joel.

MIchael Greenfield built that guitar for Keith, and it never leaves his side.

Allied lutherie black ebony is asian, not african, I think. So It's not the same wood, not have the same properties.

I have a set of Gabon ebony B&S that have been resting comfortably stacked & stickered inside for the past year. No checks have developed even though the indoor humidity has gone from 55% to as low as 20% once when the humidifier crapped out.

Never bent any, and don't plan on trying this one until I get a bit more experience.

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The member formerly known as erikbojerik....

I just sold the last 2 sets I had cut about 3 years ago. No cracking or checks that I could see.

Excerpt from Allied's site:

"Black ebony makes a striking guitar! About 15 years ago it was popular among the classic makers of Spain, when it was easier to get, and the price was not so dear. This is Indian ebony, not so brittle as the African ebonies, and it bends quite well."

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Thanks guys,
This is gaboon ebony from africa.
it the most common ebony these days except for indian but indian is usualy a smaller tree.
I dont realy like this wood for fingerboards as even the good stuff tends to have some streaking but i think it looks nice with back and sides.
Indian ebony is much better if you want completely black wood in its higher grades.

The gaboon is pretty common in back and side sized billets apparently so i am suprised we dont see it more often.

I have decided to go ahead and cut these sets but i wil sticker and them for a long while before i offer them sale.
I will try bending a test side from an orphan side once they are cut so i can let people know how it bends.

If it works out i will offer it as a permanent product.

Thanks for the input guys.

Joel.

Sorry i think you are thinking of asian ebony or malaysian blackwood and you are right that is diferent wood allthough in the same genus.
But they do sell black ebony as well.

I have been told that the tonal properties are quite simalar between the two though with the aisian being a little softer and rosewood like compared to the african which has been compard to macassar ebony.

i cant tell you if this is correct or not yet but i have a feeling the will be quite simalar.

Joel.