Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi OLFer's!

For your viewing pleasure, I have just published a profile of Australian Blackwood complete with photos. It's an amalgam of information I have been squirreling away for my own reference and I've decided to formally compile everything I've learnt into an easy to access database. As always, improvements, corrections and additional information/ your own experiences are much appreciated- I'll update the profile citing you and linking back to you!

I can't link pics directly to here so do pop by to http://guitarbench.com/index.php/2008/09/02/australian-blackwood-tonewood-database/for the full Visual presentation. As always, I present the text portion of the interview for your consideration- although I do highly recommend popping by to see the pics!

Warmest regards,
Terence
http://www.guitarbench.com

Acacia melanoxylon| Tonewood Profile | ”Australian blackwood”

Tonewoods Database

Australian blackwood
All pictures - Click to enlarge!
Please email with any corrections/ additional info
We aim to keep each profile as complete as possible & your help is appreciated!

Quick Facts
Scientific name: Acacia melanoxylon
Trade names: Australian blackwood
Janka: 1100
Uses: Back & sides, drop tops, veneer
RIYL: Koa, Mahogany
Bling factor: Can be very highly figured.
Availability: Limited but steady
CITES status: Not listed. No restrictions

Note: (RIYL) Recommended If You Like
Bling factor rated out of a maximum of 10, based on the most highly figured sets we have seen.

[Ed.- read more about this and other Australian Tonewoods in Jack Spira's upcoming article... ]

Natural History

Australian Blackwood is a fast growing evergreen tree wiith a native range in eastern Australia. It can age to 50 years and attains heights of 45m in the cooler rainforest climates of Tasmania but can tolerate urban, poor soil and water conditions very well.

It is an important horticultural as well as timber species in Australia but is known to be an invasive one in others. Oregon Mrytle is a distinct species from that mentioned in the Bible. It’s pungent leaves has a similar flavor to bay leaves and can be mistaken for Bay Laurel.

Status

J.Spira GuitarJack Spira Australian Blackwood A highly figured Australian Blackwood set on a Spira Guitar.

Within it’s native range, Australian Blackwood is widely exploited for it’s timber. The older, figured logs are now rarer but a good supply of the younger trees will continue for time to come. It has been planted as an ornamental as well as a timber species but has several draw backs.

1. It often damages undergoing piping and paving
2. It can invade local habits and force out native species.
Wikipedia writes:”It is a declared noxious weed species in South Africa. It was also recently listed by the California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) as an invasive weed that may cause limited impact (Knapp 2003).”

Physical properties


The heartwood is golden-brown taking on a glow when finished. It can display fiddleback as well as colour variations. Australian Blackwood has a Janka rating of 1270 and a Specific Gravity around 0.6.

As a tonewood…

Melbourne based luthier, Jack Spira says:

“It bends very well, although care is needed with the highly figured boards. Its stable enough to be reliable in service. I’ve not found it to be super stable though, so I’d say its important to get it well quarter sawn, and I tend to avoid using it for necks.”

Subjective tone…

J.Spira GuitarJack Spira Australian Blackwood A highly figured Australian Blackwood set on another Spira Guitar. This one features a highly figured spruce top some call “lucky 12″ check out the entire guitar here.

I feel that the tone is very very similar to Koa, which a woody, open tone somewhere between mahogany and rosewood.

Jack Spira again:” How it sounds is a very subjective thing! To my ear, I think it tends to have a fair few high overtones, giving it a dry, sometimes reedy or breathy sound if that makes sense.”

Availability

Figured examples are getting rarer and hence more expensive, but supplies of younger growth look to be good for the near future.

Tonewoods Database

Links:
ASPAG http://asgap.org.au/eregn.html
Jack Spirka http://www.jackspiraguitars.com/
Special thanks to Jack Spira for his time, data and pictures

References:
Alexander Rule “Forests of Australia”
Wikipedia


©2008 Terence Tan.
Pictures copyright individual holders.

Stray sentence on oregon Myrtle in Natural History section.

_________________
Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

You should rename this to Black Acacia, and add an "aka - Tasmanian Blackwood or Australian Blackwood, depending on the source".

_________________
"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."

Thanks Guys, much appreciated. I can't believe I missed that stray Mrytle leftover!


Terence
www.guitarbench.com

You may have noticed that one of our sponsosrs is Tim Spittle at Aussie Tonewoods. All of my Tazzie Blackwood is sourced from Tim and there are some pics and info on the wood on his website. Check it out.

I think Australian Blackwood AKA Black Acacia would be more accurate.

No one calls it Black Acacia down here.

Bob

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

I think Australian Blackwood AKA Black Acacia would be more accurate.

No one calls it Black Acacia down here.

Bob

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Bob, we could certainly get into a semantics argument here, but the most common name outside of Australia is Black Acacia, derived from its Latin name acacia melanoxylon. This is the name LMI has used for well over ten years, and the most common name at least on this continent. I would argue that Australian Blackwood is more of a regional name. But whatever....it's just not that important to me to type any more on the subject.

_________________
"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."

Bob buddy don't forget to pack that set of Australian Blackwood that you are bringing me in a couple weeks......

Hi Don!

Sorry Hesh.

Fresh out of Australian Blackwood. Got plenty of Black Acacia though.

Bob

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

Hey Hesh, if you don't want the Black Acacia from Bob, I got lots of Australian Blackwood. Well, actually it's Tasmanian. The stuff from the little island is supposed to be the better than the stuff from the big island, and way better than the same stuff that grows in California.

_________________
"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."

What do they call the stuff from California?

Urban myth.

_________________

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

Urban myth.

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

Ya think?

_________________
"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."

Most of the local guys around Maryland list it as Aussie Blackwood.

I got word from a builder in Oz that it is getting more uncommon, and that the national government might put export restrictions on it.....any truth to that?

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The member formerly known as erikbojerik....

I dont know where that rummor came from. there is plennty of good Tasmanian Blackwood.
And I am exporting it with no problems. Regards Robert,