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Hi my name is Jason. This is my 1st post here. I'm on my 2nd guitar, and having problems bending granadillo. I am bending on a pipe. The thickness is at .10 to .11 appox. I tried really hot and steam but the stuff just don't want to bend. I'm afraid of snapping it. Do I need to soak in water for awhile or thin it down more? Any information would be handy. I used mayan walnut on my 1st build. Very happy with it. Thank you

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

Hi Jason and welcome to the OLF

I have never bent granadillo but when I do bend other woods I bend them thinner than your granadillo is being bent at. Typically I bend at around .080 which may help.

I am sure that some folks with experience bending granadillo will weigh-in here and help you out.

Again welcome aboard!

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Ann Arbor Guitars

I used it once and would again, but it was really brittle.

I don't know what the thickness was, but it was thinner than I'd use mahogany for instance.

I really liked the smell of it on the pipe though!!

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

Hey Jason...Welcome. Got any pics?

Here's what I did. My first guitar was made with Granadillo back & sides. OM body shape so a really tight waist area. See a few pics of it....

I thinned to 90 thou...didn't use as much water....and lots of patience. Don't place your hands so close to the pipe and only use the perceived weight of your hands to apply the pressure...don't push down so hard. It'll bend. Also keep it moving on the pipe.

Personal opinion my first guitar turned out fantastic. I would use Granadillo again.

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There is no difference between the man that thinks he can....and the man that thinks he cannot.

I just built my first out of granadillo as well. I love the wood and think it is absolutely gorgeous. However, I had issues with cracking. SO, I would say that if you think it is going to crack, it probably is.

I bent my sides in a side bender with a heat blanket. They were thinned to 0.085" before they felt like they would go. I used slight amounts of moisture, and heated them up to about 320 F, (I think)...

Hope this helps,
Stephen

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www.ziegenfussguitars.com

Sounds like it is very thick for a difficult wood. At .11 even the easy Indian rosewood can be difficult. Not sure if you can do anything about it now, but it would bend so much easier if only 0.07-0.08.

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Build log

I've done one, and will do a sister set one day. I think it was at .075-.080", and I used a bender with 1 blanket at higher temp. It is a pretty wood, and relatively cheap too. I generally ike the sapwood,, and this one didn't dissapoint.

If I remember right it had a high silisca content, for what it's worth. Next time I will keep parameters the same, but I likely will use supersoft II. I had a little bending difficulty with the first guitar.

Thanks for all the information. I am going to sand them down and try again. After seeing the pics you all posted, I can't wait to see what it looks like after it has a clear coat on it. Some woods seem boring until you get a couple coats on them.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601