Official Luthiers Forum!

Well, the first of 10 packages (about 6 of which are guitar-related) winging my way has arrived: a smallish package from Ed Dicks with a pair of really nice AAA Engelman tops, a set of Cocobolo, two sets of Cuban mahogany, and two sets of Pau Ferro.

First, the Engelman; first time I've had in my hands, and I can see how it might, at first glance, be mistaken for Euro. Very similar colour, if tighter grained, but this stuff has much, less medullary ray-ing than the Euro I've got from Rivolta, which is rife with it, as it were. It's got a lovely tap, nice and stiff, and it's very light, though. Them's my first impressions, anyway.

Then there's the back/side sets: the Cuban feels very different to Hounduran or African. Harder, denser, very stiff, and has a very bell-like tap to it. Quasi rosewoodish, almost. It's also beautiful in that simple, unfussy kind of way. The Pau Ferro is just so bizzarely smooth, and really very beautiful, and the Coco is pretty darn nice, although the sides in particular need a good sanding/cleanup. It's all stickered up now, acclimatizing after the 1.5 month trip over (had it shipped surface post because, well, I wasn't in any hurry, and it costs about 1/4 of the UPS shipping)

Have a look here for some pictures...

Now to wait for the big, big bumper order from the ZootMan himself. Expect quite a few pictures of that. Should be in within the next couple of weeks :-)

Mattia,

You have done well! Thanks for the pictures. You are going to need to build about 12 guitars a year to use up all your wood stash before the end of the decade!

Jeff

Hehe...if I build 3-4 per year, the wood I've got (both here and on the way) should last me about...10 years. Ish. And I'm not fooling myself into believing that I'll be able to limit myself to only buying one set every 4 months to replace what I build with.

*sigh*

Might have to start a wood store at my parents' place in Italy...there's a nice little attic room that's just the right size...

Mattia, You'll be known throughout the world as the "Doctor with the Tallest Stash". Stored of course in his humidity controlled bunker.....

Nice looking Pau Ferro....

_________________
"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."