Official Luthiers Forum!

I am trying to use local woods and wonder if anyone has used English Yew for bridges. It is very hard and I would avoid the sap wood and the very wild grain, knots etc but it is possible to find clear wood especially in the small pieces required for a bridge.

At the same time I am wondering about fingerboards, harder to find the sizes required but not impossible.

I don't know, but if you can it will be even more incentive to take out the two that are currenty taking over my front yard.

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Mike Hoenerhoff
Elderly Instruments

Mike, you could just wait for them to die but apparently they can live for 2,000 years!

I use local/homegrown woods for my guitar building where possible, but I've never tried or heard of Yew being used for for bridges or fingerboards.

My choice at the moment for these parts is Bog Oak (from the Fens). It's hard and can be almost black in colour. The downside is that it can have deep grain and be a bit brittle. I can offer advice on the availability of this wood if you're interested.

You may have already seen it, but "An Environment in Tonewoods by Ray Beattie" is a fairly in-depth article about tonewoods in the UK. Interestingly, it suggests that Yew might make a good soundboard! Google to find it.

Jon

Laburnum is a decent choice for fingerboards/bridges. You might call it the equivalent of EI Rosewood. It appears rather Greenish in colour but turns Nut Brown when oxidised.

Thanks Jon, I will look it up. I thought about Bog oak, saw some on Ebay and it did look a bit grainy.

Mike will have a look at laburnam. I was also thinking about holly.

Ive done a bit with yew in box making recently. If you can get the straight grained non-sap wood it would seem suitable, though it can be brittle. I imagine for fret boards you would have to make the slots an easy fit and glue them in, if you hammered yew I could see it shattering or at least chipping out around the fret slot. My love affair with yew is fading abit since routing some slots for drawere bottoms in a small jewelry chest I have been mading in woodworking classes for months now - I managed to blow out the end of the drawer front.

Ive made a sporano uke with a yew soundboard, need to get it set up but dont have very high hopes as it doesnt sound too great when tapped, a bit cardboardy. However Im aware some guitars have been made with it.

Not to be an alarmist, just advising you to use caution. According to Bill Pentz's website, yew is about the most toxic wood he categorizes. So use proper precautions if you choose to go with it.

BTW, isn´t laburnum also toxic?

IIRC andy manson has made at least one guitar out of yew. maybe you could call him and have a chat, he´s a very friendly guy and a real class act: http://www.andymanson.co.uk/contact

cheers,
miguel.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

The greatest toxicity of Laburnum lies in the flowers/seeds. The wood itself doesn't seem to be that much of a problem, although I'd be tempted to take precautions if I was sanding it.
Probably the same with Yew. Plane/scrape rather than sand.

thanks Michael!

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

Walnut makes fine bridges - as does Pear and apple wood.... All of those should be moderately common over there....

English walnut is some pretty stuff....

Thanks

Pear and apple sound like great suggestions, thanks Truckjohn.

I recently made a saddle out of yew, since Ive done ebony nuts/saddles before which worked ok, so I'll post when I get the instrumment set up to play if it is any good.

Let's not forget Beech and Hornbeam, both of which should be hard enough for fretboards. Being light in colour is the problem. If it was easy to pressure dye them (it isn't) things would be much less of a problem. That's probably why Bog Oak and Laburnum are the better alternatives.