Official Luthiers Forum!

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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

Bob, that could have been a pretty successful NTB. Impressive!

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Dave
Milton, ON

Looking at his site and notice one thing odd. On the tonewoods part when you click on Madagascar Rosewood, it states:

Quote:
This beautiful wood is the closest relative to Brazilian Rosewood. Coming from Brazil itself, it displays coloring and grain patterns that, in most cases, exactly match Brazilian Rosewood. ????

I thought Madagascar Rosewood came from Madagascar...not Brazil.

Thanks pineknot. I'll let him know about that.

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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

That guitar is strangely familiar.

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jw ( o)===:::

I knew that one right away! Batson has an unusual cantilever bracing system that I posted about two months ago! Sure looks like an awesome build!

He's got a great site!
Builds a very nice git!

Congrats Joe on another fantastic finish!
Is this your wood Bob?

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Joe I didn't know that.
Billy it is my wood.

_________________
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

We're gettin' around eh' Bob?

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jw ( o)===:::

_________________
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

Well Bob,
I must say this is a beatiful Guitar, The Blackhearted Sasafrass Shines.
I would love to hear what your customers think of it as a Tone Wood.
Regards Robert,

Joe, Fantastic Finish!
Bob, fantastic tonewood.
We used a new bracing style on this top (a prototype of sorts) and also did our first bevel.
So, doing several things for the first time, all on one guitar (not to mention using a new finish guy ), we were not sure how it might turn out.
Results: everyone seems to LOVE it. One of our clients is a session player here in Nashville (Tim Thompson). He borrowed it for a show and told us that it would take both of us to get it back from him. We also had it out at the Chet Atkins Convention this past weekend. People really seemed to get excited about it.
Thanks guys for the great partnering on this build. I'll have to call this one a success.
We'll definitely be using sasafrass again. We still have a little root beer left over, too, from when we wrung it out initially.
Tasty stuff. (pretty cheesy joke, eh)

Hi Grant
Glad to see you found us at the OLF. One of these days I would like to see a Batson in person.
Maybe next year in Montreal? Don't be a stranger here. I'm sure you have a lot to cntribute.

_________________
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

Hi Grant, the Old folks back in the early days here in Tasmania did make Beer from the Bark of the Sasafrass tree, I love the smell of the timber when I am milling it.
Regards Robert,

Hey, nice looking instrument Grant.

It is interesting that Sassafras has historically been ignored by instrument builders here in Australia and it usually ends up in salt and pepper shakers.

I've been using it and I'm also very impressed with it's workability and tonal characteristics.

Mind you, if you could see how much it moves while seasoning you might have second thoughts but it seems very stable once properly dried.

Cheers

Bob

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

If I might add, the sassy-frass pore filled like a dream!!!

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jw ( o)===:::

It hasn't got any pores Joe. Same as Tassie Myrtle and Native Olive.

We just shoot pre-cat laquer straight on the the wood.

Cheers

Bob

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

G'Day Bob, after close to over 40 years on and off, milling and working with Sasafrass I have never had any problems with drying it, I wish Figured Myrtle dryed as easy as Sasafrass.
also you will find a few Australians have been building Guitars from it the past few years, and you will find its going to be used more & more, as it is a beautiful Tone Wood.
Regards Robert,

The only Sassafras instrument that I've seen from an established builder here was one that Barry Kerr built Bob.

Certainly Maton have not used it apart from experimentation and most instrument builders that I know of have eschewed the use of Blackwood, Queensland Maple and imported timbers over minor species.

I do agree with you that this will probably change but I don't agree that Sassafras or even Myrtle has been given much of a run by instrument builders here in the past.

I do know one prominent luthier here who has categorically stated that he would not use Myrtle as he felt it was unsuitable.

Cheers

Bob

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

I guess that would be the "dream" part huh?

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jw ( o)===:::

Who are these builders you mention Robert? Perhaps you could invite them to the OLF to show us their handy work. Besides Bob Connor, I have not heard of anyone else but Barry Kerr actually using the stuff either. Did they get their Sassafras sets from you? If so I am a little confused as I thought you had only just recently began researching how to convert logs into tonewood in order to diversify your business and value add to the local resources?

Anyhow I would love to see some of these Aussie made Sassafras guitars you mention as there is no doubt that this is an exciting tonewood. I wonder if maybe these builders you mention got their sets of Black Heart Sassafras from Tim Spittle of Australian Tonewoods? He's one of the Sponsors here at the OLF. I do know that Tim has some sets of this stuff in stock now as I was only up at his place today, (man he has got some great tonewoods that Mr Spittle ). I also know that Tim has dealt with Sassafass for a few years now as I have a few sets from him racked out, so I guess it is a possibility. If so it would be a little strange because normally folks will generally report back, especially with new stuff, but I do not recall Tim mentioning any feedback. Maybe their all hoarding like me

Cheers

Kim

I've heard bad things about sassafras all over the place but it sure looks GREAT!

Isn't sassafras extract poisonous/cancerous?

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

That's a beautiful, unique guitar.




Man I hope not! As kids, we used to dig up the roots and make sassafrass tea. Of course, that would explain a lot about me

The sassafrass we have around here seldom gets bigger than your leg. I guess you could make a 10 piece back out of it

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Brad Tucker

Sassafras albidum

Sassafras

Sassafras was touted in Europe as America's herbal curative because of purported miraculous outcomes from the sick who drank sassafras tea. Those claims were exaggerated but the tree did prove to have attractive aromatic qualities and the "rootbeer" flavor of the root's tea (now considered a mild carcinogen) was enjoyed by Native Americans . S. albidum leaf shapes, along with the aromas, are definitive identifiers. Young sassafras seedlings are usually unlobed. Older trees add mitten-shaped leaves with two or three lobes.

This is not the same species as the guitar which is:

Black Heart / Sassafras Atherosperma moschatum

Color: Sapwood is a pale tan to light yellow, heartwood is a dark and irregular brown to black in varying shape and wild pattern.

Tree: Grows to 80 feet high and a small diameter of about 30 inches.

Wood Description: This fine textured wood is quarter sawn so boards are colorful and interesting with a display of sapwood and heartwood. The variety of color and pattern make Blackheart a fine candidate for bookmatched panels. Takes a glassy finish with ease.

Typical Uses: Furniture, gunstocks, decorative veneers, cabinetry, interior woodwork, handles, turnery, musical instruments, carving, and accessories.

Growth Region: Tasmania / Australia

_________________
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

Hi Kim, I will answer you and Bob at the same time, Thomas Lloyd, of Thomas Lloyd Guitars has used Sasafrass as well as some of his students, also I have supplied a few buiders here in Australia within the past 3 years, Who do not for there own reasons want to join forums.
As for your question about researching how to convert logs into Tone wood That I do know.
Regards Robert,

Sorry Robert,

I was sure that you had mentioned, either here or at the ANZLF in a fairly recent post sometime this year, that you were to take instructions from Rick Turner during one of his visits to Tassi on the correct procedure for converting billets of wood into instrument grade guitar sets to ensuring you got supply right for your and Rick's joint venture seeking to bring alternative tonewoods into the USA market ? Maybe Rick mentioned this in one of his post?

What ever, I think we all can agree that Sassafras has great potential as a tonewood, and with that I should now apologise to BobC for not staying on topic and of course congratulate Grant on his very fine craftsmanship and innovation instrument.

Cheers

Kim