Official Luthiers Forum!

Now, this is for the bridge of a bandura but don't be too scared if you don't know what a bandura is. I find that when I mention bandura people tend to clam up because of their lack of experience with them but please, I'm looking for speculation. Think guitar with a tailpiece and go from there.

I was at the local woodcraft looking for some wood for the bridge of my next instrument hoping to score some EIR or other rosewood. They didn't have anything suitable in rosewoods and so remembering that Osage Orange has been touted as a "drop in replacement" for BRW and the fact that they had some on the rack, I decided to pick up a plank.

For my last instrument, I used a walnut bridge and really like the sound. Sustain is fine, bass is a bit weak but that's probably not the fault of the bridge.

So having never handled dense exotic woods except for back and sides of EIR, I was a bit taken aback at how heavy this stuff is so I'd like some comments on the following concerns if you will:

Volume suck - I want to try something like OO for the bridge because many guitar luthiers rant about what a nice bridge EIR makes, especially compared to traditional ebony. On the other hand, OO (or EIR whatever) is significantly more dense than the walnut of my last bridge so I'm worried that I'll get a significant drop in volume. I had some thoughts of drilling out areas of the bridge to lighten it but thought that may also have negatives too.

Color - My latest instrument is using a sitka top and I prefer the look of high contrast bridge & trim. Any advice on staining the OO to make it darker, like walnut or mahogany or something like that. I seem to recall that it doesn't stain that well.

I'm about 95% sure I'll actually use this for the bridge so I'm looking for advice on how to make the best of it. If you have negatives though, speak up. I can always wait a bit longer and get a more suitable wood.

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

Andy,
I can't comment on the effects that the added weight of the Osage might have on your instrument as compared to the walnut bridge, but I think it would be a good choice. The Osage will polish up beautifully and over a period of time will darken to a rich, dark golden brown. Especially if in contact with the oils of your skin. My experience is with Maclura Pomifera. The variety that grows in the U.S.
I say go for it.

Kent

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Kent Schoonover

WWW.schoonoverresophonicguitars.com

Osage orange's density is similar to that of BRW. How does it tap? If wood pings when tapped, I like it.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Andy,

The walnut bridge is likely to be lighter than one made of OO of the same dimensions. The extra weight of an OO bridge might help the bass.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I got some Osage Orange bridge plates from Uncle Bob JJ. It pings real nice. I'd have no hesitation in using it for a bridge.

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

Stain will not work well because OO is so dense the stain won't penetrate. You can darker it with Amonia or you can turn it almost olive black with a mixture of steel wool/vinegar and salt.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Thanks for the ideas guys. I like the idea of binding it - that would probably quite difficult but be rather striking, especially bound with walnut or ebony or something like that. It turns out I might have a source for some EIR guitar neck blanks that are large enough to make into bridges so I'll probably make both and decide at the last minute.

I'm still rather scared because the walnut bridge sounds so good but no risk, no reward. The OO board sounds really nice when you whack it.

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

Trust the whack, Andy...the ping from a tonewood tap has never disappointed me...especially for a bridge. Just be sure to mill it to be as light as practical so it moves as easily as possible.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Tim,

Will you please elaborate on that process?

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

Reacting iron with vinegar forms ferric acetate. Traditionally this was wiped on the wood, followed by tannic acid, to get a black stain. The product is a black oxide of iron deposited in the wood that is quite stable chemically, and really black. It's said that Strad made black purfling by boiling poplar shavings in vinegar with logwood (a source of tannin) in an iron or copper trough. Copper will tend toward green. A old-time recipe for indelible ink is walnut hulls boiled in vinegar in an iron pan.

Common table salt is a widely used 'mordant' for dying: the word comes from the Latin for 'bite', mordants help dyes to 'bite onto' whatever they're being used to color, and can alter the color of the dye, too. Plain ferric acetate doesn't color OO very well, but I have yet to try it with the salt. Thanks Tim!