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To Wenge or not to Wenge? - with pics!
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=37050		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Rob Flindall [ Sun Jul 08, 2012 6:26 pm ]
Post subject:  To Wenge or not to Wenge? - with pics!
Hello everyone! I'm looking for some input on my current build. This is my first custom build from scratch after having put together a couple of successful kits. For my first build from scratch, I'm using wenge sides and back with an Englemann spruce top. So far the build has been great (I'll post some pics shortly).

The wenge back and sides are a nice rich, chocolate brown - I love the colour and so far, the wenge has been pretty easy to work with. I'm now turning my attention to the headstock, fingerboard and bridge. I purchased a piece of wenge stock from a local wood supplier with the thoughts of making the headstock, fingerboard and bridge out of wenge as well. My question to everyone is this - is this going to be too much wenge on a guitar? The wenge I purchased is perfectly quartersawn and is gorgeous. But I'm wondering if I should stick to a wenge headplate with ebony fingerboard and bridge.....

Here's my second question - the piece of wenge I purchased is considerably lighter in colour than my back and sides. I read somewhere that wenge turns this nice chocolate brown in sunlight. Can anyone confirm this?

I really appreciate any input you guys can lend! [:Y:]
Rob
Author:  Tom West [ Sun Jul 08, 2012 7:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To Wenge or not to Wenge?
Jag: Using all similar wood brings a harmony to the guitar as long as you have a bit of contrast to go with it. Assume you will have this with your binding etc. I think either combination will work because it is all dark wood. If it were me I would be looking at the weight of the two bridge blanks. I would lean towards the wenge for the headplate and bridge and either for fingerboard,leaning to ebony.
Tom
Author:  Chris Ensor [ Sun Jul 08, 2012 7:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To Wenge or not to Wenge?
You can use a single type of wood for almost every part. I did it here:
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=36093&p=473756&hilit=coco+monster#p473756
Author:  Rob Flindall [ Sun Jul 08, 2012 8:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To Wenge or not to Wenge?
Thanks for the input guys.

Along with the wenge, I'll be using maple bindings along with a maple tail piece and a curly maple neck. That should provide the contrast we're after. :D

Chris - love your guitar!

Now do either of you know anything about whether or not the wenge will darken over time in sunlight? The wenge I would like to use is still fairly light compared to the back and sides.

Rob
Author:  Lavrov Guitars [ Sun Jul 08, 2012 8:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To Wenge or not to Wenge?
I built a "dark" guitar, didn't finish it 100% but I did what you want to do. It was a sinker redwood top, some sweet Cocobolo back and sides, ebony binding, walnut neck and here we go, Cocobolo fretboard, matching headstock, Cocobolo bridge, Cocobolo back of headstock from back cut offs and Cocobolo radial purflings. Too much coco? Naah, there can never be too much coco :)
Author:  Rob Flindall [ Sun Jul 08, 2012 8:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To Wenge or not to Wenge?
Uh oh. Me thinks maybe I used the wrong term for how this wenge I purchased was cut. Maybe it is rift sawn. Here's an image I took :

Image

Is that rift sawn, and do you think that will be ok for the bridge???

And here are some pics how she currently sits :

Image

Image

Image

Like I said, this is my first guitar I've made not from a kit. I decided to try my hand at a sound port and I think it turned out pretty good!

Image

And here I've thrown in the colour difference between my back/sides and the new piece of wenge I've cut - you think this will darken up to match the back/sides?

Image
Author:  Lavrov Guitars [ Sun Jul 08, 2012 8:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To Wenge or not to Wenge?
That's a quarter sawn piece, and yeah it's pretty light. I've never seen wenge that light. I don't know anything about it darkening though. My local lumber store carries all the wenge u can dream of, and rich rich chocolate brown like your back and sides.
Author:  Rob Flindall [ Sun Jul 08, 2012 9:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To Wenge or not to Wenge?
Hmmmm... I might have an answer to the colour issue. I did some quick reading and apparently when you apply oil to wenge it goes almost black. I'm going to try some fingerboard oil on a scrap piece and see what happens.

Now as for the bridge - has anyone tried making a laminate bridge before? I'm wondering if a piece of maple sandwiched between wenge would be strong? It certainly would be a great contrast in the bridge. Just thinking out loud here.....
Author:  James Ringelspaugh [ Sun Jul 08, 2012 10:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To Wenge or not to Wenge? - with pics!
I am a big fan of wenge despite the extra work it creates with splinters and big pores. My favorite guitar (built in 2007) has a vertical grained wenge bridge and I've had no problems.

I've had several wenge boards that were light colored when freshly cut that oxidized to a nice dark brown over time... if you don't have to build with it right away stick the board out of the way but exposed in a well lit room (but out of direct sunlight) that gets decent air circulation. After a few months if the exposed sides are darker than the bottom, then it will likely darken to that nice chocolate wenge color eventually.
Author:  Shaw [ Sun Jul 08, 2012 11:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To Wenge or not to Wenge? - with pics!
Can I ask why the enormous neck block?
Author:  Ken Franklin [ Mon Jul 09, 2012 1:24 am ]
Post subject:  Re: To Wenge or not to Wenge? - with pics!
I don't see any problem with all that wenge. IMO most guitars have too many different woods. I don't think I'd laminate the bridge but I would flood it with thin CA before I did the final shaping of the bottom. I'd flood the fingerboard too.

Your work looks very clean and tasteful.

I'm wondering about the grain orientation of your neck and tail blocks. the shrinkage over time could cause some problems.
Author:  Alexandru Marian [ Mon Jul 09, 2012 8:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: To Wenge or not to Wenge? - with pics!
If you want maple bindings, how about a maple neck? Headplate, FB and bridge wenge.
Author:  matt jacobs [ Mon Jul 09, 2012 2:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To Wenge or not to Wenge? - with pics!
Maybe the wood is Panga Panga (Millettia stuhlmannii) and not Wenge(Millettia laurentii), just a thought.
Author:  Rob Flindall [ Tue Jul 10, 2012 7:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To Wenge or not to Wenge? - with pics!
Great input guys! Thanks!

Mr Shaw - as this is my first scratch built guitar, I'm still colouring inside the box. I have a guitar plan which calls for a next block this size. It seems a bit large to me, but I wanted to follow the plans. I thought of making the neck block lighter, but I'd be kicking myself if I screwed up and made it too small/thin/light. I'll experiment on my next guitar.

Ken - thanks for the suggestion with the CA glue - I'll definitely give this a try.

Alexandru - you've hit the nail on the head with my plans for this guitar with the maple neck, and wenge head plate, fingerboard and bridge.

Matt - hmmmm I think it's still wenge - just a lighter brown. But I'll have a look at the Panga Panga.

I tried putting some lemon oil on a piece of scrap, but it didn't darken it much. I'm probably not using the right kind of fingerboard oil to darken it.
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